ISN Sponsored AKI Symposium in Malawi
At the end of March this year, following on from the World Congress of Nephrology (WCN) in Cape Town, we held an Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) symposium in Blantyre, Malawi. This was attended by 100 delegates (nurses, clinical officers and doctors) who work in hospitals and health centers around the Central and Southern region of Malawi.
An international faculty of 10 taught. The aim was to provide support to healthcare professionals from around the region, to improve the detection and management of AKI in Malawi, and to raise awareness of the specialist AKI service we run at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH).
We are aware that education specifically focusing on AKI is lacking from many curriculums both in Malawi and around the world. Indeed, 50% of attendees had never received any teaching on AKI before.
The event was made up of a mix of lectures and small group discussions, and thoroughly enjoyed by all. 98% of attendees wanted the course to be run again next year. Of particular interest, and impact, were sessions we ran in which patients we had treated for AKI at QECH shared their experiences, including undergoing hemodialysis in our setting.
At the end of the course, we had a reception to celebrate World Kidney Day with the Kidney Patients Association of Malawi. We aim to run similar courses focused on AKI in the years to come.
