8/22
Today is the last day of the clinic. We will be driving back to Antigua tomorrow to pick up our Casa de Fe souvenirs and prepare for our departure back to Guatemala City.
Today a total of 770 patients were registered by the clinic.
8/21
On this trip our team has been enjoying fresh fruit juices and delicious buffet meals at the hotels where we stay. The downside to all the exotic, fine dining is possible exposure to pathogens that can cause Traveler’s Diarrhea. Lack of consistent water treatment and sanitation make the tap water in Guatemala unsafe to drink or use to brush your teeth.
Our team’s doctor has furnished me with some electrolyte powder and Imodium to supplement my own supply of antibiotics that the travel nurse in my hometown prescribed for me before our departure.
Today our clinic saw 620 patients and sent 255 of them out for referrals.
A group of women carpooled in from their hometowns assisted by local volunteers.
8/20
On the first full day of clinic the line to see the doctors stretched down the driveway of the church.
The majority of the patients are women who would like to see the gynecologist.
Health care workers that are well trained on the use of EKG and ultrasound machines are nonexistent in this area of Guatemala
8/19/23
Dr. Sawyer says he is expecting 50 patients per provider per day.
7:02am on the bus to Samayac for the first day of the clinic.
At 8:09am we arrived at the clinic despite car accident that was blocking the road. The two lane highways through the forests here have no shoulder. We arrived on time as our police escort pulled us out of traffic on his motorcycle and led the bus past the bizarre accident through incoming traffic.
The doctors sat down at their stations and waited for the patients to check-in for their examinations.
Volunteers with red hats take the patients between stations. Patients arrive with X-ray films in large white envelopes from their doctors at clinics here in Guatemala. Some have pictures from a previous ultrasound but no clear idea about what to do next or how to move forward with their conditions.
At first, there were some technical issues with Insight the new software we are using for the clinic. The tablets with the big screens were not saving the doctor’s notes for some reason. After a few failed attempts our IT person switched out the tablet to one with a smaller screen which worked fine.
Scanning a QR code on the patient’s intake form with a tablet opens the page with the patient’s chief complaint, current medication, and vitals. Insight allows the medical providers to communicate with the other stations by sending results of the patients’ examinations to the pharmacy, the laboratory or the referrals department. Many of the patients with an urgent need for surgery or a biopsy are emotional and appreciate the chance to consult.
There was some chicken in tomato sauce and rice for lunch. A tropical storm hit our area in the afternoon as expected. We had to move a lot of our equipment away from the edges of the auditorium to keep them from getting soaked. This weather combined with the traffic jam has kept away at least half of the patients we expected today.
160 patients were seen at the clinic today.
5pm – 6:41pm commute from the site back to the resort.
8/18/23
Spent the night in Antigua after walking around and meeting the FIP volunteers.
Rode in the bus for three hours to get to the site of the clinic.
Setting up the clinic we unloaded the truck, hung drapes for exam rooms, and divided the outdoor auditorium at the Catholic church in Samayac into the general, pediatric, pharmacy and laboratory sections. The covered patio across the courtyard with the yellow tiles will serve as our referrals department and is run by the Guatemalan volunteers.
8/17/23
In Antigua after riding the bus for two hours from Guatemala City.
Met the FIP volunteers for orientation and lunch at the Casa de Fe.
Walked by the Obras de Padre Pedro museum and hospital. In the main plaza people gather to listen to the marimba music and sell fruits at the outdoor market.
The team reassembled in the evening for training on the Insight clinic software.
The providers will use QR codes and tablets to keep track of the patients that our visiting our popup clinic.
Members of the Sawyer Team will provide a free visit with doctors from the United States who specialize in areas like Internal Medicine, Family Practice, Pediatrics, and Gynecology. In addition, trained nurses from the US provide their expertise in running blood sugar, hemoglobin, and urinalysis laboratories. The team also has a supply of pharmaceuticals that treat common ailments, toothbrushes, kids vitamins, and pre-natal vitamins. Our team’s doctor also comes prepared with an emergency medical kit that includes saline bags for IV, medications, and a travel size defibrillator.
-Andrew Roman, Team Blogger
