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Writer's picturegabriela A.S.

What is PEERS+ and why should you join?

PEERS+ is a course put together by experts in the area of Obstetrics within the 4EU+ university network.

PEERS is a term coined by this group and it means: Perineal Trauma Prevention, Evaluation, Education, Repair and Scanning, in the course we learn about each of these faces of perineal trauma (that happens during childbirth). PEERS+ is composed of 3 parts, once you sign up you have to complete part 1 and then you are free to decide on doing part 2 and/or 3. The course is free of charge to students from 4EU+ universities.


 

PART 1

This is an online learning module and it is surprisingly interesting and not boring at all. Due to it`s self-learning nature there are lots of self-assessment tests you have to pass to proceed and full freedom on retaking them and rewatching the lectures and procedure videos. There full informational videos with presentations and also instructional videos about physiotherapy, perineal protection techniques and OASIs and episiotomy reparation. For those who lack surgical skills (or need to refresh what they learnt), there is a very instructive section with basic surgical skills that is extremely useful to the rest of the course.

On a more technical note, the learning materials are all on the Moodle platform and it`s very simple to navigate them. Any issues, such as a video freezing, were promptly solved by the team. As well as any questions the students have are rapidly answer on the forums.


 

PART 2

After finishing the videos and interactive quizzes, you might have had an idea that would help future students understand the topics better. Or maybe you have a topic you would like to add on the course, a different quizz method to make things more comprehensible, anything that pops up on your mind. Part 2 is your chance to make an impact on PEERS education and develop a project of your own (with the help of a tutor) that might be used in the future by the next group of students.

 

PART 3

This is an optional part for students who successfully completed part 1(and potentially part 2 but not necessarily). It allows you to put in practice complex suturing skills that merges in trauma, obstetrics and plastic surgery fields. Below a direct quote of the program:

This is a four-day face-to-face hands-on training using simulators and animal models. You will be able to reconstruct the pelvic floor anatomy using the purpose developed Pelvic+. You will also be able to undertake surgical repairs on animal models to train you how to repair different degrees of perineal trauma included Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries. International experts in the field will be delivering the training. At present we have 2 PEERS+ workshops planned: one in Warsaw in July 2021 and one in Milan in August 2021.


 

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

A few members of AWS-Milan have joined the course and the reviews have been positive.


The PEERS+ course is a great review of perineal trauma that offers students not only the opportunity to have a relevant surgical introduction but also a useful review of perineal and pelvic anatomy. - Hendrik, 4th year student


The course was so brilliantly organized; the lectures were easy to follow and the information given was as straightforward as it could be. At first, I was afraid that I could be under-qualified for this course since I am currently only a 2nd year medical student but I am glad I took it because I learned so much in such a short time and I believe I will find these information useful in both my clinical years and the years ahead. I think the most important thing I learned was that with a few more examinations and a little more care, we doctors (or soon-to-be doctors) can remarkably improve our patients' quality of life and make their recoveries faster and less painful. - Ece, 2nd year student



PEERS+ course is an informative and highly detailed dive on one of the most crucial and devastating condition that many women may suffer from during childbirth. The course is structured so that we are re-introduced to the general anatomy of the pelvis and the general surgical techniques, so that we have a stronger base before moving on to the rest of the course. Having multiple highly educated professor across multiple countries focused on a single topic, allowed me to have a better understanding of the whole course in general. Moreover, being able to test our knowledge with the quizzes and interactive videos was very helpful albeit a bit stressful. Overall PEERS+ course is something I highly recommend all medical students and other professionals in medical field to go through to experience a very well structured learning process, expanding your knowledge progressively.- Preetha, 5th year student


The PEERS+ course is an excellent opportunity to review the pelvic anatomy and to learn about perineal trauma, a relevant topic that isn`t very explored throughout our studies. It is asynchronous and interactive, so students can take the course at their own pace, and, later on, it is possible to do a tutored self-study module and a surgical workshop. -Fabiana, 4th year student

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