IARS 2024-2025 International Outreach Travel Grant Interview: Eugene Tuyishime, MBBS, MMed, MSc

Solutions to Reduce Burnout Syndrome among Perioperative Healthcare Providers in Low Resource Settings: A Qualitative Study

The Initiative for Medical Equity and Global Health (IMEGH) Resuscitation Training Program: A Model for Resuscitation Course Training in Africa

During his residency training, Eugene Tuyishime, MBBS, MMed, MSc, noticed a shortage of anesthesiologists available to cover all the clinical work and an expectation to work long shifts, up to 24 hours without rest. As the deputy chief resident, he felt a responsibility to advocate for his fellow residents and search for a solution. This initial observation led Dr. Tuyishme to his research focus to discover solutions to burnout and develop better wellness programs for anesthesiologists in low- and middle-income countries. With his mentor Professor Dylan Bould, he conducted multiple studies on burnout among anesthesia providers in Rwanda. Now Assistant Program Director for Research at the University of Rwanda, Dr. Tuyishime has gone on to design the Initiative for Medical Equity and Global Health (IMEGH) resuscitation training program, providing easy access to resuscitation and other anesthesia courses for anesthesia providers in Rwanda. His dedication to this topic and his recent study, Solutions to Reduce Burnout Syndrome among Perioperative Healthcare Providers in Low Resource Settings: A Qualitative Study, were recognized by the IARS with an International Outreach Travel Grant. He will share the results of this study during the 2025 Annual Meeting, presented by IARS and SOCCA, on Friday, March 21. Below, he reflects on this research and how it may impact how institutions address burnout and promote wellness and how this grant will enhance his future investigations and his career development.

Poster Sessions:

Solutions to Reduce Burnout Syndrome among Perioperative Healthcare Providers in Low Resource Settings: A Qualitative Study

Poster Session B, Friday, March 21, 2025, 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm HST, Coral 3, Hilton Hawaiian Village® Waikiki Beach Resort

The Initiative for Medical Equity and Global Health (IMEGH) Resuscitation Training Program: A Model for Resuscitation Course Training in Africa

View digital poster under e-Poster sessions on the 2025 meeting app.

1. For this research, I am…

Principal Investigator

2. What drew you to this area of research? Has it evolved since your initial research project?

When I was doing my residency training at the University of Rwanda, there was a shortage of anesthesiologists. There was an expectation to work long shifts up to 24 hours without enough rest. As a deputy chief resident, I had an obligation to advocate for the wellness of residents. I started exploring existing literature on this topic and I realized there was a big gap in research around burnout and wellness in low- and middle-income countries. Working with my mentor Prof. Dylan Bould, we conducted multiple studies of burnout among anesthesia providers in Rwanda which were published in Anesthesia & Analgesia and the British Journal of Anaesthesia. This project is a logical next step in exploring potential solutions to address the high rates of burnout identified in the previous projects.

The Initiative for Medical Equity and Global Health (IMEGH) resuscitation training program was designed to address lack of easy access to resuscitation and other anesthesia courses for anesthesia providers in Rwanda. I cofounded the IMEGH teaching organization which has conducted more than 40 sessions of different courses such as Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and the Vital Anesthesia Simulation Training course reaching more than 1,400 healthcare providers in Rwanda and Botswana. This work contributed to my prestigious 2024 World Federation Society Anesthesiologist (WFSA) Rising Star Award. Our next step is to create the in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) database to track outcomes after training and quality improvement projects.

3. What are the goals you most want to accomplish in your work with this research project (or projects)?

I hope that the results of this study will inform the design of a context-appropriate wellness program for anesthesia providers in Rwanda and similar settings. In addition, our work will support advocacy efforts for requesting health systems and hospitals in low-resource settings to make burnout prevention and wellness for perioperative providers a priority.

The IMEGH resuscitation program has potential to become a comprehensive resuscitation program with a database to track outcomes, local training centers at each partnering hospital, and regular context appropriate quality improvement initiatives. This will contribute to the improvement of the survival rate after IHCA in Rwanda and other low-resource settings which is still low (approximately 4%) in comparison to high-resource settings (approximately 18%).

4. What is the potential impact of your research on the field of anesthesia and patient care?

As I have said it before, the research on burnout solutions has potential to make a huge impact by addressing burnout and promoting wellness among perioperative providers in Rwanda and similar settings improving productivity, quality of care, and retention of staff. This is even more important for hospitals in rural areas with severe shortage of staff.

The IMEGH resuscitation program has already made an initial impact by providing courses to more than 1,400 healthcare providers across Rwanda. Our model is being replicated successfully in Botswana. By having a resuscitation database and implementing regular research and quality improvement programs, this program has potential to advance the field of resuscitation care in low-resource settings with positive impact on quality of care and outcomes. Involved centers will be able to share lessons learned through a regular dialogue through the community of practice.

5. How do you feel about receiving the IARS International Outreach Travel Grant?

I feel honored and humbled to receive this IARS travel grant. This is a great recognition of the work done by the whole IMEGH team and all stakeholders who have made this work possible. I am also grateful for all the support from my wife Claudine and my son Anael. This will give our team confidence and motivation to make even bigger impact going forward.

6. How will this grant affect your research and professional trajectory?

This grant has potential to create networking opportunities leading to future collaborations with experienced and successful researchers in the field. In addition, through the IARS network, I hope that I will find interesting and exciting career development opportunities.

7. What are the benefits of presenting your research at the IARS Annual Meeting?

I think that the IARS meeting is a great platform to present our work to the global audience. In addition, most influential figures in the field of anesthesiology, decision makers, and industry leaders attend this meeting providing huge networking opportunities. I am grateful to be part of the IARS community.

8. Is there anyone else you wish to acknowledge as part of this research team?

I would like to thank all members of the IMEGH group: Dr. Alain Irakoze, Dr. Celestin Seneza, Dr. Jackson Kwizera Ndekezi, Dr. Jean Paul Mvukiyehe, Dr. Noah Rosenberg, and Dr. Faye Evans who made the IMEGH resuscitation program a reality through excellence, dedication, and hard work despite multiple challenges.

9. Outside of your research, what might someone be surprised to learn about you?

Outside research and clinical work, I play volleyball and I used to be a setter for the Rwanda volleyball national team. Despite a busy schedule at work and at home, I still manage to enjoy volleyball 3 times a week, contributing to my work-life balance.

I think also that my career path is surprising as well, I have completed 3 different fellowships (simulation, perioperative medicine, obstetric anesthesia) and one extra master’s degree (global health) making my work interesting, exciting, and enjoyable.

Both my volleyball and academic careers taught me the importance of having a vision and doing something you are passionate about leading to resilience, excellence, and success.