This first week has allowed me to accustom myself with the surrounding atmosphere. Days are loaded with work and usually begin with a wake up call at 6:30 am followed by breakfast with the rest of the team. Breakfast comes with a side of Doxycyclin as Malaria is endemic in this region.
We then prepared for the patients that had been elected for surgeries during the previous day's round. The OR was operational starting at 8:00 am, and these patients and the ones admitted during the day set the rythm of our day.
We perform about 30 procedures per day, of which about 5-10 are in the "closed" OR. Most of the cases were wound treatments, fractures with conservative treatments (casts), external fixators or even tractions. We perform skin grafts on a daily basis, procedures for which a protocol was established by Benjamin and that we followed systematically. We also routinely perform standard surgeries, abscess drainage, C-sections, etc...
We perform about 30 procedures per day, of which about 5-10 are in the "closed" OR. Most of the cases were wound treatments, fractures with conservative treatments (casts), external fixators or even tractions. We perform skin grafts on a daily basis, procedures for which a protocol was established by Benjamin and that we followed systematically. We also routinely perform standard surgeries, abscess drainage, C-sections, etc...
The day in the OR ended around 7:00 pm with a short break to rest a little. We did rounds of the hospitalized patients every day. During those rounds, which included the nurses, physical therapists and other practitioners (anesthesiologists, internists, etc...), we determined the treatment’s course of action as well as the surgical plans for each patients to be followed the next day. Each patient had a file in which we wrote the surgical follow-up and treatment plan with adjustments of medications. I was in charge of the treatment plan for patients with fractures, 20 of which had fractures of the femur (our Traction Ward). I had to decide who needed x-rays based on my clinical evaluation, who would benefit from walking rehabilitation and when, for how long and with what weight bearing. I also had to determine the surgical course of action for orthopaedic patients needing skin grafts, in collaboration with Benjamin. I’ve also created an Excel list to facilitate the categorization of all patients and their treatment plans. A list that will not only be useful for the nurses, but also be of assistance to my successors, so they will be able to follow all treatment plans already in course, and adjust them if needed.
Our daily rounds, and our workday in general, ended often between 9 :00 and 10 :00 pm with dinner, sometimes we had Haitian rhum, music or a debriefing from various MSF representatives.
Interactions with other residents and workers of the camp was very worthwhile. We exchanged our stories of the day, our past experiences and projects for the future.
Aside from having the opportunity to meet a population wounded by this natural and humanitarian disaster, I’ve also had the privilege of meeting extraordinary people. Amongst them were administrators, physical therapists, nurses and doctors. All of them came from different backgrounds and social classes, but all had one common interest: devotion towards the one in need. All of which came without any religious duty or cliché desire to be a "savior of humanity". I have great respect and admiration for those that I have met, and this blog is dedicated to them...
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