Ternopil State Medical University professor gave lectures to students of Wroclaw Medical University
Head of Ternopil State Medical University department of childhood diseases and pediatric surgery professor Oksana Boyarchuk on 19-25 March 2017 visited Wroclaw Medical University as a part of academic exchange program ERASMUS + Staff Mobility for Teaching.
The visit took place at the Department and Hospital of Clinical Immunology and Pediatrics and in Hospital Pediatrics and Infectious diseases.
These units are located in the Jerzego Gromkowskiego Provincial Hospital, which is one of the most modern hospitals in Poland’s Lower Silesia. Children’s department occupies new building, which was built with EU funds four years ago and features the latest technologies. The hospital is fully computerized: medical records and data are being archived and transmitted electronically.
At the Department of Clinical Immunology and Pediatrics Professor Boyarchuk read lectures to residents, doctors, and students on primary immunodeficiencies and autoimmune diseases, and acute rheumatic fever in children. She also gave a seminar to students on meningococcal disease in children. The Polish students showed high engagement and high level of expertise.
During the visit, Dr. Boyarchuk discussed with the hosts areas of further cooperation between the departments, especially on working on improving the diagnosis of primary immunodeficiencies.
The staff of the unit of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, located in another hospital, uses creative approaches to solve the problems of pediatric infections. Much work in the unit is being done to improve educational outcomes. The Department developed and distributed brochures about the early signs of septic conditions in children. In addition, the unit’s staff prepared cartoons about the positive aspects of vaccination to dispel urban legends about their supposed harmful side effects, which are being broadcast the emergency admissions department.
In this hospital Dr. Boyarchuk gave lectures for students, residents and faculty department on features of borreliosis in children and meningococcal disease in children.
The attendees were interested in the epidemiology of children’s infectious diseases in Ukraine and Ternopil region. The Polish colleagues have not encountered many of these infections first-hand. In particular, in recent years the hospital did not have admissions for meningococcal disease, hepatitis, tetanus, and leptospirosis. Therefore, Dr. Boyarchuk’s presentation of clinical cases was especially valuable. A significant reduction in incidence of these diseases is attributed to vaccination. At the same time, in Poland the doctors note an increased incidence of enterovirus infection, whooping cough, measles, borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis, and chicken pox.
During the visit the Polish colleagues shared their valuable knowledge resulting from the extensive efforts to promote vaccination, since anti-vaccination propaganda became an issue in Poland. Another know-how that could be borrowed from Polish colleagues is a great educational drive to inform the population about dangerous signs of infection requiring immediate medical attention. These efforts resulted in the decreased number of delayed admissions to hospital.
During the visit, Professor Oksana Boyarchuk took part in the 10th educational conference “Addressing clinical situations in pediatrics”, organized by the department and unit of pediatrics and infectious diseases and which was attended by about 400 residents and practicing physicians.
The main questions raised at the conference were rational antibiotic therapy, recurrent fever in children, and autoimmune hepatitis. A number of reports was devoted to Lyme borreliosis, the question of vaccination in children with HIV infection, enterovirus infections, whooping cough, and chickenpox. Also discussed was hospice care for children in Poland, which is being developed a home hospice approach. Most of the reports were based on clinical cases.