SPA Global

COVID-19 Presenting Challenges and Opportunities

By J. Matthew Kynes, MD
Chair SPA Global Committee

Dr. Kynes

Among the many things that COVID-19 has taught us, one of the most impactful has been that we live in a highly interconnected world. For the past ten months the collective attention of the globe from Nashville to Nairobi has turned toward protecting ourselves and our communities from the consequences of this disease. As international borders closed off in unprecedented ways it became clearer that global health affects all of us. And perhaps never before has the health status of populations around the world been as closely tracked and monitored leading to a global exchange of ideas, science and policies around a single focus to improve health.

As a committee committed to seeing improved health for children worldwide, especially those in communities where healthcare resources are scarce, we at SPA Global hope that some of the lessons the pandemic is teaching us will be applied to tackling challenges related to increasing availability, improving quality and enhancing safety of pediatric anesthesia around the globe. While our members are currently limited in their ability to contribute to these goals through travel and service, we have some programs that have continued to engage with partners at a distance and others that are pivoting to do so. The two primary areas that we have focused on during this time are virtual learning and distance collaboration.

SPA Global has been committed to virtual learning long before the pandemic began. Our PowerPoint Lecture Series (www.pedsanesthesia.org/education/powerpoint-lecture-series/) is created and peer-reviewed by committee members and edited by Andrew Infosino and Chris Heine.  This collection now boasts over 60 lectures on pediatric anesthesia topics free for download through the SPA website. Authors also created two COVID-19 lectures on preventing transmission and perioperative considerations for children. In 2020, the site has been accessed over 11,000 times by users from at least 72 different countries who are downloading 1400 lectures per month. Of these users, 17% are from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where learning resources and pediatric anesthesia specialists are extremely scarce. We expect to see utilization of this resource as a learning and teaching tool continue to rise.

SPA Global members have contributed to virtual learning in other ways, as well. Along with SPA leadership our committee has been committed to the training of the pediatric anesthesia fellows in Nairobi, Kenya and several members have conducted lectures and case discussions virtually as part of their core curriculum. While this fellowship is currently on hold until the safety of its trainees can be assured, SPA Global will continue to be a key support to the training when it resumes.

Additionally, SPA Global members have continued active participation in a monthly multi-institutional teleconference led by Jenna Sobey and Faye Evans with colleagues from four continents. Created in 2015, the Safe Pediatric Anesthesia Network (SPAN) provides a forum for the exchange of techniques and ideas related to pediatric anesthesia from a variety of practice environments and was an important source of support and information as the pandemic emerged in the spring.

In addition to enhancing virtual learning, SPA Global is involved in opportunities to enhance collaboration at a distance. We have much to give and also much to learn from colleagues around the world, and new digital tools are making these exchanges easier than ever. For our members who participate regularly on service trips, as well as their international partners, the restrictions on travel in 2020 have been devastating. However, we have joined with an organization called InterSurgeon (www.intersurgeon.org) that is building a worldwide network of surgeons, anesthesiologists, associated healthcare workers, and institutions to offer and request clinical services, teaching, consultations, research and equipment. We hope that encouraging participation on this platform will foster international connections now and prime members for in-person trips when these become available later.

We have also helped facilitate distance collaboration in real-time among hundreds of pediatric anesthesiologists worldwide through participation in a group on the text-messaging platform WhatsApp. SPA Global members regularly give and receive advice on a range of topics including patient care, OR management, and wellness and benefit greatly from the exchange of ideas and practices. Our next goal is to make use of the wealth of experience represented in our members to facilitate formal mentoring arrangements with anesthesia colleagues in LMICs looking to grow in leadership, research and education. Because of the dearth of pediatric anesthesiologists in these settings, each one is an extremely valuable leader and SPA Global aims to invest in their development in any way we can.

Someday, hopefully soon, the days of the pandemic will be behind us. When that day comes, sadly the need for accessible, quality and safe anesthesia for children in many parts of the world will remain. In the meantime, SPA Global remains committed to doing our part to meet those needs now and into the future.