Tamingthesru
Trouble Abroad - Recap and Commentary
The responses provided so far have been phenomenal, both insightful and provocative. I am truly impressed. As mentioned by several of my colleagues, many of these cases are deeply personal, not only because they involve highly vulnerable populations, but also because they may put clinical providers in harm’s way. When we begin to discuss ethics, especially global health ethics, there is often no single correct answer to a given scenario. We often deal with hard science and hard facts but sometimes you just have to go with your gut and do what you think is right. If you missed the first case and initial discussion, check it out here.
Global Health Case Files
Imagine: you are the single provider manning a rural clinic in Northern Tanzania along the shore of Lake Victoria. You are one of only a handful of physicians in the entire region and you have minimal access to diagnostics or therapeutics. Your clinic does not have any power. Your diagnostics include: urinalysis, urine pregnancy, CBC and rapid tests for HIV, syphilis, and malaria. You have 2 nurses, one of whom acts as a translator (from Swahili to English). You are armed primarily with your intellect, knowledge of local disease processes, and your keen sense of intuition.
Disaster and Emergency Medicine: An Overview
Disaster. It’s trending right now. In the last few years we have seen epidemic outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever, earthquake induced nuclear meltdowns, and large-scale civil war. It is no secret: both the scale and frequency of disasters are increasing. This appears to be due to a complex interplay of interconnected, global factors that show no signs of slowing. More people means harvesting more food, tapping more clean water, clearing more land, crowding more cities, and releasing more harmful products into the environment. The consequences to this include rising water levels, widening temperature extremes, increasing erosion, and a growing number of vulnerable people. With inevitably more disaster on the horizon, preparedness and experienced leadership are critical for the world’s future.