Project Description | |
| Project Type | |
| Funded Project - Normal Project | |
| Project ID | |
| 03KMH001 | |
| Project Title | |
| Training of paramedics in speech therapy for cleft palate patients | |
| Institution | |
|
Kathmandu Model Hospital P.O. Box 6064, Bagbazar, Kathmandu, Nepal | |
| Contact | |
|
Dr. Shankar Man Rai Kathmandu Model Hospital Telephone (voice): 9810-51750 (Mobile) / +977-01-4240806 ShankarRai  hotmail.com | |
| ANMF/Nepal Project Manager | |
| ANMF/America Project Manager | |
|
Libby Wilson, MD LibbyWilson anmf.net | |
| Project Description | |
|
Interplast Surgical Outreach Program with Smile Train has been providing
free surgical care to the cleft population in Nepal. The activities have
been able to reach 46 different districts of Nepal over the last five
years. More than 700 of these patients also had cleft palate deformity
repaired by the program. Since most of these cleft palate patients were
operated in an age older than the ideal one (12-18 months) for various
reasons, almost all of them require vigorous speech therapy. At present,
speech therapy is being provided in both central (Kathmandu Model
Hospital) and peripheral sites in a week long camp situation where the
parents/guardians of the post operative cleft palate patients are
invited and provided free food and lodging. The whole day is spent with
the speech pathologists undergoing individual and group speech therapy.
The parents are also taught how they can reinforce what the kids have
learnt during the camp for the time in between the camps which are
organized usually every 2-3 months. At a time, we have about 15-50
children in the camp.
Because of the small number of speech pathologists in the country (8 in total), it has been difficult for us to organize these camps as often as is necessary especially in the peripheral sites. Majority of the patients' speech problem is so severe that one week long speech camp organized every two to three months is not adequate. To make the speech therapy available to these poor people in the peripheral sites on a more regular basis, we need paramedics (CMAs, ANMs, AHWs, etc) trained in speech therapy for cleft patients who can travel and stay in these peripheral sites close to the homes of our patients' for longer time than just one week. The training will have both didactic and practical components and both components of training will be conducted in Kathmandu (based at Kathmandu Model Hospital) where all speech pathologists are stationed and in periphery where almost all the patients live. | |
| Location | |
| Kathmandu Model Hospital, Kathmandu and several peripheral sites | |
| Time Frame | |
| 2004 | |
| Material Requested | |
| Educational Materials, Stationery, Sound Recording, etc. = $600 | |
| Training Requested | |
| One year training for 4 paramedics in speech therapy for cleft palate patients | |
| Advisors/Instructors Requested | |
Advisor:
Instructors:
$5 for 2 hrs lecture/seminar/demonstrations for an average of 8 lectures per week for 50 weeks = $2000 | |
| Travel/Expenses Requested | |
| Covered by Interplast/Kathmandu Model Hospital | |
| Grants/Stipends Requested | |
| $50/month/trainee for one year = $2,400 | |
| Other Items Requested | |
| None | |
| Total Funds Requested | |
| $5000 | |
| Additional Information | |
|
Several programs have been operational to provide the service to the
cleft population in Nepal but the post operative speech therapy has been
very much neglected by most of them. To give the full benefit of the
surgery, especially when the palate surgery is done in an age above the
ideal one (12-18 months), post operative speech therapy is very
important. The therapy has been protracted to be of any benefit, and the
patients when most of them are coming from the periphery, it is
essential that the service is available to them at a place nearer to
their homes. The small number of speech pathologists in Nepal and their
engagement in several different hospitals of Kathmandu has been limiting
factor for speech therapy service available to the majority who need
them. Thus, it is necessary to train paramedics in post palate surgery
speech therapy. Even during their training, they will spend a lot of
their time in the periphery with the speech pathologist learning as well
as providing the post palate surgery speech therapy. For this, a very
basic curriculum is being developed with 400 total
lectures/seminars/demonstrations dealing with anatomy of larynx,
pharynx, nasal sinuses, oral cavity (palate), external, middle and inner
ear, CNS, physiology of sound production, hearing mechanism,
articulation, linguistics, cleft deformities, speech pathology, speech
assessment through the pro forma of cleft palate child, diagnosis, voice
disorders, speech therapy, clinical psychology, associated problems,
etc. The training will be both theoretical as well as practical. The paramedics will learn to work with the speech pathologists in the speech camps. The aim of such training is to make the paramedics able to assist the speech pathologists who will diagnose and formulate a therapy plan which could be carried out by the trained paramedics under intermittent supervision of the pathologists. | |
Project Status | |
| 9/10/03 | Request received by ANMF/Nepal |
| 11/8/03 | Approved by ANMF/Nepal |
| 1/25/04 | Approved by ANMF |
| 9/14/04 | Projected funded by ANMF via ANMF/Nepal |
| 11/11/04 | Project on schedule for successful completion January 2005 |
| 1/30/05 | Project successfully completed and renewed for an additional year as 04KMH002 |