Dr Arunaz Kumar receives national award for simulation excellence

Professor Debra Nestel and
Dr Arunaz Kumar

Dr Arunaz Kumar from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has received the Simulation Australasia’s Simulation Achievement Award for 2019 for her significant contribution to the advancement of modelling and simulation in Australia or New Zealand.

Monash School of Medicine and SCS Quiet Achiever award

Congratulations Dr Arunaz Kumar who received a Monash School of Medicine Award in recognition of excellence and innovation in women's health teaching and interprofessional education.

And the SCS Quiet Achiever Award went to Liza Barbour from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Indian doctor couple nominated for Pride of Australia award

A Melbourne-based couple has been nominated for the Pride of Australia Award for helping mothers who experience high-risk births.  Read SBS story here.

Publications week ending 21 September 2018

Using patient factors to predict obstetric complaints and litigation: A mixed methods approach to quality improvement. Benjamin Nowotny et al. published in the Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management.

Effect of an in-situ simulation workshop on home birth practice in Australia. Arunaz Kumar et al. published in Women and Birth.

The prevalence of computed tomography‐defined leaflet thrombosis in intra‐ versus supra‐annular transcatheter aortic valve prostheses. Hashrul Rashid et al. published in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.

Publications week ending 31 August 2018

MANAGEMENT OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE: Therapeutics of Vitamin D. Peter Ebeling et al. published in the European Journal of Endocrinology.

Heritable methylation marks associated with breast and prostate cancer risk. Melissa Southey et al. published in The Prostate.

Interprofessional education and practice guide No. 9: Sustaining interprofessional simulation using change management principles. Arunaz Kumar et al. published in The Journal of Interprofessional Care.

Behavioral and neurodevelopmental outcome of children after maternal allopurinol administration during suspected fetal hypoxia: 5-year follow up of the ALLO-trial. Ben Mol et al. published in PLoS One.

Treble grant success for Monash doctor saving lives in India

Dr Kumar and Dr Malhotra with local health leaders
 in a health centre in rural Punjab

A Royal Australasian College of Physicians’ (RACP) grant will enable expansion of a teaching and research program in maternal and neonatal resuscitation in parts of rural India, potentially saving the lives of hundreds of women and babies.

For the third consecutive year, Monash University researcher and Monash Children’s Hospital neonatologist, Dr Atul Malhotra is the recipient of the RACP Foundation’s Eric Burnard Fellowship, allowing him to travel to India to further expand an educational program for health workers, medical and nursing students to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes of difficult child birth.

Evaluation of learning from Practical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training and its impact on patient outcomes in Australia using Kirkpatrick's framework: a mixed methods study

Arunaz Kumar et al. published in BMJ Open.

Read article here.

Embedding assessment in a simulation skills training program for medical and midwifery students: A pre- and post-intervention evaluation

Arunaz Kumar et al. published in ANZJOG.

Read article here.

Healthcare Simulation Education: Evidence, Theory and Practice

Arunaz Kumar et al. published in Healthcare Simulation Education: Evidence, Theory and Practice

Book details here

Interprofessional Simulation-Based Education for Medical and Midwifery Students: A Qualitative Study

Arunaz Kumar et al. published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing.

Read article here.

Monash doctors use simulation to teach obstetric and neonatal emergency management skills in rural India

Dr Kumar (right) with local doctors, nurses and midwives

Monash doctors recently visited rural India, where they upskilled local health workers to help prevent deaths associated with difficult births.

Monash Health obstetrician Dr Arunaz Kumar and neonatologist Dr Atul Malhotra—who are also Monash University senior lecturers—piloted the combined maternal and neonatal simulation workshops in rural Punjab last month. 

“Complications associated with difficult obstetric and neonatal situations can be prevented in rural India,” said Dr Kumar, who has extensive experience in leading interprofessional simulation workshops both at Monash University and Monash Health.

Dr Malhotra (left) with local doctors, nurses and midwives

“We used low technology simulation equipment to educate community health workers, doctors and nurses.”

The workshop covered common child birth emergency scenarios including obstructed labour, postpartum haemorrhage and perinatal asphyxia.

“Postpartum haemorrhage and perinatal asphyxia are the leading causes of maternal and neonatal mortality in the developing world,” said Dr Malhotra.

Drs Kumar and Malhotra conducted three workshops over two days with the help of local medical leaders and regional collaborator Assistant Professor Tarundeep Singh from the School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research, Chandigarh.

Dr Malhotra said around 70 participants attended the workshops, involving hands-on skills training with the help of manikins.

“The workshops incorporated discussion of various scenarios, and local resources and knowledge was factored into patient management,” said Dr Malhotra.

“The staff had never been exposed to simulation training before and loved the experience of being able to practise child birth and neonatal resuscitation in a safe environment.”

The pilot work was supported by a grant from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. The team hopes to continue this training regularly and is seeking local and international public and philanthropic funding to sustain the initiative.