The Initiative for Medical Equity and Global Health (IMEGH) Resuscitation Training Program: Training Achievements From 2018-2024

BACKGROUND: While outcomes following in-hospital cardiac arrest have improved over the last two decades in high-income countries, there are still poor outcomes in low-income countries due to lack of adequate resuscitation training and lack of equipment. To address this challenge, a local training organization, the Initiative for Medical Equity and Global Health Equity, was started to teach regular resuscitation courses such as Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Vital Anesthesia Simulation Training (VAST), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). METHODS: This resuscitation teaching program’s implementation strategy focused on increasing the number of instructors and availability of simulation equipment, engaging funding partners, using a hybrid teaching method, and increasing accessibility. RESULTS: From October 2018 until December 2024, 42 courses (focusing on BLS, ACLS, VAST, and PALS) were conducted in 18 health institutions across Rwanda reaching 1,404 healthcare providers, including non-physician anesthetists, nurses, midwives, general practitioners, specialists, and medical and nursing students. CONCLUSION: This resuscitation teaching program is an example of a locally developed model to overcome local barriers and can inform the design of a resuscitation training program for additional rural and non-teaching hospitals in Rwanda and other countries.