Teaching pediatric hand surgery in Vietnam

International volunteering missions are becoming an important focus of plastic surgeons in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to describe the teaching of pediatric hand surgery in Vietnam to share the lessons learned from this project.

Two medical education trips were conducted to the no. 1 Children's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) to teach pediatric hand and burn reconstructive surgery to the surgeons and therapists. This is the main referral children's hospital for the country, and pediatric hand surgery expertise is not available.

Structured education programs were conducted over two trips to introduce congenital hand surgery and burn reconstructive procedures using flap techniques. The education programs included lectures and surgical demonstrations of selected procedures. Their proficiency was verified by supervised conduct of these operations.

A well-conceived medical education program can introduce complex surgical discipline to a country. Through two trips, the surgeons at this referral center will have the capability to take care of many children requiring reconstructive hand surgery.