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BakuRichmond

Baku, Azerbaijan / Richmond, Virginia

2000-2004


Focus: Immunization, Cardiology, Nursing, Community Health, Primary Care, Public Health, Maternal and Child Health



The Partners

US Partner: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA. Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health in the School of Medicine will also draw upon the talents of faculty members from the Department of Family Practice in the School of Medicine as well as from other health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University. These include the schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, and Pharmacy, and Allied Health. VCU also has a wide range of linkages with health services organizations throughout the Richmond metropolitan area.

NIS Partner: The Binagadi District Health Administration in Baku, Azerbaijan serves the Binagadi District, which is one of Baku's eleven administrative districts where there are approximately 33,000 IDP/refugees, the largest concentration in Baku. In the Binagadi District, the initial partnership activities are being implemented through the Pediatric Polyclinic #20 and Adult Polyclinic #9 as they provide health care services to most of the IDP/refugees living in the area. Primary health care is provided through various Adult and Pediatric polyclinics, Joint City Hospital/Clinic No. 6, and a Women's Health Clinic.


Partnership Objectives

The overall goal of the partnership is to provide humanitarian assistance in the form of model community-based Primary Care services for the IDP/refugee community in the Binagadi District. The specific partnership workplan objectives are to:

  • Improve the capacity of the Binagadi District Health Department to collect, enter and analyze data on the health status of refugees and IDPs housed in the Binagadi District.
  • Improve the children's component of the surveillance system aiming at infectious disease and cardiovascular disease (especially early detection of rheumatic and congenital heart disease).
  • Improve the quality of the medical care provided by area doctors and nurses to refugees and IDPs in the Binagadi district through improvement of working conditions and medical/nursing skills.
  • Improve the quality of medical information provided to refugees and IDPs on infectious disease, personal hygiene, sanitation, and general prevention in their home environment.



Key Events

  2000

  • The partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding on April 20.

  2001

  • Richmond partners provided the Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Training Course to the four Azerbaijani cardiologists. The training also covered echocardiography techniques for partners to introduce the EKG machines that were procured and shipped to Baku. The donated equipment, including an echocardiography machine, enabled physicians to screen children for complications of rheumatic and congenital heart disease, among other life-threatening conditions.

  2002

  • In April, partners from Richmond, together with their local counterparts, visited two refugee sites in Azerbaijan where they screened IDP/refugee children for cardiac and infectious diseases. Thirty nine children were examined.
  • In December, 30 physician and 30 nursing kits with basic medical equipment and supplies were delivered to area healthcare professionals providing primary care to the Binagadi District population.

  2003

  • Baku partners introduced CPG protocols on "Screening healthy persons" developed by the Georgian CPG working group. This project began at Polyclinic #25 where ten area physicians and ten area nurses were trained by CPG master instructors on relevant protocols. One hundred patients were observed according to the new protocols.
  • US standards of dental practice were introduced in Binagadi Health District to improve oral hygiene and oral health for IDPs and refugees in the Binagadi District of Baku.

  2004

  • A partnership nurse implemented a project funded by AIHA's INLI grants. The project enabled nurses in the Binagadi Health District to provide health education activities for mentally challenged children and their parents at a specialized school.
  • In April, during a three-day workshop, US partners provided an overview on coding in primary care, including ICD-10 and ICPC-2. A series of lectures was provided on diverse subjects such as basic epidemiological concepts and principles; various epidemiological data sources; epidemiological surveillance outbreak investigation; study of causation in epidemiological outbreaks; and understanding errors in clinical medicine. EpiInfo, data entry tool, analysis, and report writing skills were provided to a group of healthcare professionals consisting of Binagadi partners and the Ministry of Health Information and Statistics Department staff members.
  • A practical computer based system to collect, register, and analyze data on primary care health status was developed in Polyclinic #39, Binagadi Health District, Baku. This system is based on the ICPC-2 (International Classification for Primary Care) software program and aims to strengthen data collection and epidemiology services in Binagadi Health District.


Achievements

  Clinical Organization and Capacity Building

  • Over 50 physicians and nurses from the Binagadi district received training in new methods of improving health care for refugees and IDPs, developing effective primary care practices, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, development of programs for hospital epidemiology, and an epidemiologic approach to patient care. Materials on patient education and new standards of clinical practice were developed and disseminated within the partnership.
  • Primary care cardiology and treatment of infectious diseases in IDP/refugee populations in the Binagadi district were a special focus of the partnership. Nurses also focused on community assessment and community patient teaching, in particular on infectious diseases and preventative care.
  • Computers were provided and installed to contribute to data collection, storage, and analysis. The US partners conducted training sessions on clinic infrastructure and functional analysis, patient flow, data tracking and medical record-keeping.
  • Thirty medical and nursing bags with basic equipment and supplies were provided to medical personnel providing health care services to IDPs and refugees residing in Binagadi District. The US partners trained the physicians on use of the equipment.
  • In 2003, about 65% of physicians and health providers surveyed said that the use of new clinical practice guidelines had assisted them in making treatment more efficient. The percentage of patients assessing the quality of medical care received as "good" and "very good" increased from 20% to 65%.
  • In 2003, an analysis of clinical practice standards implementation in the Binagadi District of Baku showed a 30% decrease in the number of patients hospitalized for arterial hypertension; a 20% decrease in the number of patients hospitalized for aggravations of gastric and duodenal ulcer diseases; a 15% drop in the number of complicated deliveries; controlled bronchial asthma status was achieved in 70% of the BA patients; and a one-third decrease in the number of complications and mortality cases at the Intensive Care Unit, Joint City Hospital #6, was reported.

  Community/IDP Outreach

  • In 2003, an analysis of clinical practice standards implementation in the Binagadi District of Baku showed a 30% decrease in the number of patients hospitalized for arterial hypertension; a 20% decrease in the number of patients hospitalized for aggravations of gastric and duodenal ulcer diseases; a 15% drop in the number of complicated deliveries; controlled bronchial asthma status was achieved in 70% of the BA patients; and a one-third decrease in the number of complications and mortality cases at the Intensive Care Unit, Joint City Hospital #6, was reported.
  • The partners initiated a preventive dentistry program, based on a need for better oral health observed among IDPs, refugees and patients in the polyclinics. The program focused on promoting improved oral hygiene, brushing and flossing, and the provision of fluoride. Azeri dentists were also trained on new dental techniques and procedures.
  • Based on her experiences at AIHA's Breast Health Seminar in Kiev, Ukraine in April 2000, an Azeri partner established an NGO dedicated to improving education and care in the area of breast health. The NGO received a grant from ISAR for work on breast health.


Participating Institutions





Updated on November 21, 2004