Lacking exposure to the latest medical trends and techniques in their specialty areas, medical professors in Afghanistan often teach using outdated curriculum and materials. Fortunately, the USAID-funded Higher Education Project is addressing this problem through Grand Rounds discussions.
Grand Rounds are presentations of current trends in medicine followed by an interactive question-and-answer session with the audience. More than 140 doctors, midwives, nurses, and medical students attended the first discussions held in three teaching hospitals in Kabul. Two hospitals held presentations on preventing and managing heart disease, while the third focused on clinical care in the management of diabetes.
These discussions provided an opportunity for approximately 50 healthcare clinicians with international experience to engage with the medical community in Afghanistan. Participants found the rounds motivating and closely related to the medical challenges they face every day. They also requested additional presentations on surgery, radiology, and anesthesiology.