Thursday, May 30, 2013

Orthopedic Clinic in Can Tho

As we pulled our team bus into the Orthopedic and rehabilitation Center of Can Tho at 8:00 am, it was already close to 90 degrees with 100% humidity, but that didn't stop the hundreds of patients eager to be seen and treated. They sit for hours to receive the potentially only medical care they can afford to receive all year. The medical clinic has multiple areas that our team participates in, Medical Intake, Medical Evaluation, Treatment, Physical Therapy and Pharmacy. The patient's visit starts at the intake station. With a detailed questionnaire, and a very good translator, we are able elicit a very thorough chief compliant, many of which are orthopedic illnesses. The physical assessment component quickly follows with a blood pressure and pulse measurements. Diabetic patients or patients with symptoms of diabetes have their blood glucose measured. Every patient is then seen, evaluated and treated by our team. After Bac Si Ha, with the assistance of our team, develops the treatment plan, the patient is then moved through a physical therapy station, and then ultimately to the pharmacy area where they receive the proper medications and detailed counseling. While expecting a very steep learning curve, we were able to treat 85 patients on the first day of clinic. This exceeded our day 1 goals. with the hopes of increasing that number each day.