HealthStores March 22, 2007
Posted by jaotte in Assorted Links, Ethics, Healthcare, Human Rights, Medicine.add a comment
On a top-50 list of “profit-driven solutions for what ails the planet,” HealthStores in Kenya rank 10th. These micro-franchises offer healthcare solutions at low cost. Each franchise must meet the standards of the broader organization. Read more about their mission and operations at The HealthStore Foundation/Child Family Wellness Shops website.
Is this a good way to motivate care without corruption? It seems that profit can be a good incentive for the healthcare entrepreneurs who decide to run a shop, and the small business can make acute care accessible to most. Of course, few would pay for care when they are well or for chronic, silent illnesses in this model.
How Great is Wikipedia? March 7, 2007
Posted by jaotte in Healthcare, Medical School, Medicine.add a comment
There was a recent article on nature.com that addressed the use of public-contribution-based sites, like Wikipedia, in sharing medical knowledge.
The Hospital Librarian of the Year, fellow blogger and UBC library committee member, Dean Giustini weighed in on the issue. With vast experience with evidenced-base medicine, professional medical databases, and Google Scholar, it’s not surprising that he takes a cautious view.
From the article:
“The Wikipedia model is simplistic for medicine,” says Dean Giustini, a University of British Columbia medical librarian. “There’s something to be said for the wisdom of the crowd, but that doesn’t supplant the wisdom of the expert.”
For more of his opinion on Web 2.0 and wikis in Medicine, see his December BMJ editorial. If you want to see an example of wiki-format with expert-only editing and contributions, try Ganfyd.
Journal 7 – Seven: Slow March 5, 2007
Posted by jaotte in Medicine.add a comment
Luxury breakfast with pancakes and “eggy bread.” The latter is like French toast, without the syrup, and the UK members of our team seem quite familiar with this. We’ve been fed so well that it is hard to really miss any dish, but pancakes just aren’t pancakes without syrup. Who am I to crave this whilst in the middle of a health brigade to treat people who can’t afford a toothbrush or basic pain meds? We are spoiled.
I’m feeling dirty but a bar of soap and a splash in the grey washing tent really help. My congestion and runny nose (as well as the dirt under my nails) should prompt me to wash my hands a lot today, but the alcohol evap stuff is going to have to do since warm buckets of water are scarce; who knows if I’ve got a little head cold or if it’s just the altitude and cool mornings that are jamming up my nose, anyway.
We drive to an elementary school where clinic was scheduled for tomorrow. We aren’t allowed to start early because of some ’scheduling conflict.’ The team snaps photos of the kids, has a brief lesson in pinworm diagnosis and treatment, and we take the jeeps further, to the next school and monastery. We hold clinic here but I’m stuck on triage. Blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature. Well, the first three consistently anyway; the thermometer is on the fritz. Triage is slow as there are no emergency or particularly unusual cases. The down time gives me a chance to reflect on how this experience has been so far, compared with my expectations. I feel like I could do so much more, even if it were just grunt labour, learning more of the language, or otherwise making myself useful.
I’ve brought some stickers for the kids; good thing they are small and plentiful, as screaming hands reach for the colourful treats from all directions. Almost every Presenting Complaint says: “eyes.” Yes… but we are running out of glasses and hardly any of the frames would fit children; next time, I think we should bring and endless supply of sunglasses to help protect their eyes against the sun and blowing sand.
[[The journal stops here; rain and routine pre-empt my writing.]]
