Thursday, April 15, 2010
Haiti Day 5
I've been back to Mission rescue every day this week. I've turned myself into an on the spot pharmacist and the Dr.s I'm working with tell me that I'm doing a really good job.
My day at MR involves filling sandwhich bags with pills of Tums, Tylenol, Vitamins, and other OTC medicine, but it also involves me learning and keeping track of a lot of antibiotics and hypertension medication. That along with anything else that could possibly be wrong with someone - we have to some how have a way to treat them.
Drawing a picture for you, Haitians line up from the tents to the police station and the line is long. We've treated somewhere between 300 to 600 patients each day. They are triaged under a tent where vitals are collected and then sent to wait for us. We see 'General' complaints which means not Women with Ob. concerns or children (although they are next door and I am their pharmacist too). The waiting area is a narrow hall that was also probably a waiting area for the police, they then move in to our general area where they are called by a Dr and a Haitian interpreter for consult. The Pharmacy is a table that is 3 steps from the consultation area and supplies stretch all around the room. I try to make it easier for the Dr.s to find the medication, needles, sterile equipment, and everything else. I also assist with surgical procedures since I'm the one who seems to be able to keep track of most of the stuff and I'm sort of 'good in the pocket.'
There have been a lot of medicines collected in the main MR pharmacy tent which is seperate from our area (in the courtyard style parking lot). I had a chance to help organize it this week. I can't really keep track of all of the new experiences that I've had and all the learning I've had to do.
Some highlights from yest and today:
-Learning that Augmentin is Amoxiciline plus something else (I know it when I see it)
-Learning what Amoxiciline is
-Tons of other drug stuff (Mebendozole kills something like tapeworms)
-Assisting in surgery on a women who had worms inside an open leg wound. It was pretty gross in an awesome way
-Showing up after pickup at MR and being taken to the General Hospital around the corner where 8 trauma victims had just arrived from an auto accident. The power was out in the tent outside the hospital where they do triage and the heroic Dr.s were working with headlamps, practically in the dark - I mostly stayed out of the way.
-Watched some fluid drains including a Pneumonia patient who needed fluid drained from the lungs - and a patient who needed perniel (sp) fluid drained from his scrotum
-Not getting woosy even once the entire time I've been here
Part of our discussions here have been about the problems of providing free health care. There is a long history of dependency in this country on foreign aid and I'll blog about some of the things that I'm learning on that topic next time.
My day at MR involves filling sandwhich bags with pills of Tums, Tylenol, Vitamins, and other OTC medicine, but it also involves me learning and keeping track of a lot of antibiotics and hypertension medication. That along with anything else that could possibly be wrong with someone - we have to some how have a way to treat them.
Drawing a picture for you, Haitians line up from the tents to the police station and the line is long. We've treated somewhere between 300 to 600 patients each day. They are triaged under a tent where vitals are collected and then sent to wait for us. We see 'General' complaints which means not Women with Ob. concerns or children (although they are next door and I am their pharmacist too). The waiting area is a narrow hall that was also probably a waiting area for the police, they then move in to our general area where they are called by a Dr and a Haitian interpreter for consult. The Pharmacy is a table that is 3 steps from the consultation area and supplies stretch all around the room. I try to make it easier for the Dr.s to find the medication, needles, sterile equipment, and everything else. I also assist with surgical procedures since I'm the one who seems to be able to keep track of most of the stuff and I'm sort of 'good in the pocket.'
There have been a lot of medicines collected in the main MR pharmacy tent which is seperate from our area (in the courtyard style parking lot). I had a chance to help organize it this week. I can't really keep track of all of the new experiences that I've had and all the learning I've had to do.
Some highlights from yest and today:
-Learning that Augmentin is Amoxiciline plus something else (I know it when I see it)
-Learning what Amoxiciline is
-Tons of other drug stuff (Mebendozole kills something like tapeworms)
-Assisting in surgery on a women who had worms inside an open leg wound. It was pretty gross in an awesome way
-Showing up after pickup at MR and being taken to the General Hospital around the corner where 8 trauma victims had just arrived from an auto accident. The power was out in the tent outside the hospital where they do triage and the heroic Dr.s were working with headlamps, practically in the dark - I mostly stayed out of the way.
-Watched some fluid drains including a Pneumonia patient who needed fluid drained from the lungs - and a patient who needed perniel (sp) fluid drained from his scrotum
-Not getting woosy even once the entire time I've been here
Part of our discussions here have been about the problems of providing free health care. There is a long history of dependency in this country on foreign aid and I'll blog about some of the things that I'm learning on that topic next time.
