In early 2023, Peninsula Health Registrar Dr Elise Pascoe excelled in a 6-month Ultrasound Special Skills rotation at Frankston Emergency Department, learning how to perform point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to enhance ED patient care.
During Dr Pascoe’s rotation, she piloted an innovative remote coaching method as part of PEARLS (POCUS for Emergency & Acute care in Resource-Limited Settings), a program pioneered by Peninsula Health Emergency Physican, Dr Jonathan Henry. Without ever having met in person, Dr Pascoe began to educate Papua New Guinean ED physician, Dr Donna Piamnok, on how to perform POCUS using a handheld ultrasound probe.
Based on this new long-distance connection, in November 2023 Dr Pascoe led a faculty of five Australian emergency and intensive care doctors to travel to Port Moresby and train 20 Papua New Guinean emergency, rural, anaesthesia, and intensive care doctors for a week in POCUS.
The course was a success, empowering PNG doctors to scan using handheld probes, and upload images for educational review and feedback by the Australian faculty, which is continuing now remotely post-course.
Dr Pascoe, an extraordinary embodiment of Peninsula Health values, epitomises excellence in care and collaboration. A Role Model, she inspires her peers in international aid work and extends safe, personal, and effective care with our Melanesian neighbours.