Heart’s Soldiers

Name of the activity: Heart’s Soldiers

Country/NMO: Ecuador (AEMPPI-Ecuador)

Program: Healthy Lifestyles & Non-Communicable Diseases

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Campaign. Combination of education and advocacy. Campaigns create awareness in society about a certain topic (education aspect) and try to funnel this awareness into pressure on the decision makers to adapt policies accordingly (advocacy aspect).

General description:

The activity “Heart Soldiers” is carried out with the aim of combating the number of deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases secondary to a bad lifestyle, providing tools for its prevention, and teaching how to act in an emergency situation. It’s aimed to medical students and the general population, without distinction in age groups, academic level, or socioeconomic status, because we are all at risk of being victims of this problem.

The activity will consist of three phases: Symposium / workshop, diffusion and media campaign. By doing this we expect to train medical students and the general public about signs of a cardiac emergency and how to act.

Focus area:

Cardiovascular Disease

Problem statement:

Cardiovascular diseases are the first cause of death in the world, and in Ecuador 17% of deaths are due to heart disease; more than 90 thousand people die from a heart attack each year. About 90% of these deaths occur outside hospital centers and only 5% of patients survive without sequelae.

It’s important to receive preventive education in cardiovascular health as well as training in basic life support because the measures we take during the first 3 to 5 minutes allow up to a 75% survival rate.

Target groups:

General population, Medical students

Beneficiaries:

General population, Medical students, Doctors, Other health professionals

Objectives and indicators of success:

-Train 200 medical students on cardiological first aid through a workshop which will be held during October 2018, and with their help train the population through a media campaign through social networks.

Indicator: Google Forms survey for participants and a practical evaluation after the training.

-Learn to recognize a cardiac emergency and how to act.

Indicator: Practical evaluation after the training.

-Train different communities on how to act when a cardiac emergency happens.

Indicator: Practical evaluation of people in the communities we visit.

Methodology:

The activity will be carried out in 3 phases:

First phase: a symposium/workshop given by professionals on the following topics:

1. Cardiovascular diseases

a) Myocardial infarction

b) Cerebrovascular disease

2. Healthy lifestyles

a) Balanced diet

b) Adequate water intake

c) Exercise

d) Recreational activities

e) Rest

3. Basic vital support

a) Adults

b) Pediatric

c) Special situations

d) Choking

Second Phase (diffusion) will be held at a community where medical students will train people about the topics they learnt during the first phase, teaching how to help a person with a cardiovasclar disease.

Third Phase: A media campaign through social networks in order to teach more people about first aid and healthy lifestyles.

Plans for evaluation:

Those who attend the training will be evaluated through a Google Forms survey, with a minimum score of 7/10. The questions will be based on

the information given by professionals on cardiovascular diseases, healthy lifestyles and basic life support.

The ability to apply the knowledge about basic life support will be evaluated in a practical way, based on clinical cases.