By Olena Litviniuk | Grant Writer
Since our last update, UA Brokers Without Borders has made significant progress in strengthening Ukraine’s capacity to diagnose and treat acoustic trauma.
Training Center Nears Opening
The establishment of the training center at the O.S. Kolomiychenko Institute of Otolaryngology in Kyiv has entered its final stage.
Renovation work is complete. We are now installing furniture and preparing the space for training activities. The official opening is scheduled for the second or third week of November, with the first training sessions to follow.
The center will provide a dedicated space for hands-on training for otolaryngologists, otologic surgeons, audiologists, and hearing rehabilitation specialists from across Ukraine. Medical professionals will be able to strengthen their practical skills in diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating patients with acoustic trauma.
Training Frontline Healthcare Professionals
Alongside preparations for the training center, we are expanding our educational activities directly into frontline communities, where timely medical care for people injured by explosions is particularly critical.
We conducted two practical training sessions in Zlatopil and Balakliia, Kharkiv Oblast, as part of the program “Acoustic and Blast Injuries of the Ear: From First Contact to Treatment and Rehabilitation.”
A total of 30 healthcare professionals participated in the two sessions, including family doctors, primary and emergency care providers, otolaryngologists, and military medical personnel.
The training focused on the decisions healthcare professionals must make when first assessing a patient after an explosion. Participants practiced initial examinations and basic hearing assessments, worked through clinical cases, and learned to recognize warning signs, avoid interventions that could cause further harm, and determine when urgent referral to an ENT specialist is necessary.
The first 72 hours after acoustic trauma can be critical for initiating timely treatment and improving the chances of hearing recovery. This is why frontline healthcare professionals, particularly those working in communities regularly exposed to shelling, need the knowledge and practical skills to respond effectively.
The next training sessions are scheduled for November in Sumy and Krolevets, Sumy Oblast.
Helping Hospitals Raise Patient Awareness
During our July conference, we surveyed 125 healthcare professionals. Of these, 95 identified low patient awareness of acoustic trauma, while 60 reported delays in seeking medical care.
In response, we worked with doctors to develop and deliver 60 informational posters to healthcare facilities in Kharkiv Oblast whose staff participated in our recent training sessions in Zlatopil and Balakliia.
The posters help hospitals inform patients about the warning signs of acoustic trauma, the importance of seeking timely medical care, and what to avoid before seeing a doctor.
We plan to extend this initiative to more hospitals, particularly in communities regularly affected by shelling.
Specialized Surgical Equipment for Regional Hospitals
In addition to training healthcare professionals, we continue to strengthen the capacity of hospitals treating patients with acoustic trauma.
We have initiated the procurement of specialized otologic surgical drill systems for two hospitals in Vinnytsia and Mykolaiv.
These systems are essential for performing complex ear surgeries and will expand surgeons’ ability to treat patients with severe injuries affecting hearing.
We expect the equipment to be delivered to both hospitals in the near future.
Next Steps
Our immediate priorities are to open the training center and launch hands-on training for otolaryngologists, otologic surgeons, and audiologists, while continuing training for first-contact healthcare professionals in frontline regions.
We also plan to equip four additional hospitals with specialized diagnostic and surgical equipment and procure a surgical microscope for the O.S. Kolomiychenko Institute of Otolaryngology.
Another priority is to facilitate international knowledge exchange, strengthen collaboration with medical institutions abroad, and organize another scientific and practical conference on the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of patients with acoustic trauma.
Together, these efforts aim to improve access to timely diagnosis, specialized treatment, and hearing rehabilitation for patients across Ukraine.
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