Contributors
Nica Equipo
teamelectrosurgery
mitneb
Defibrillator at Ocotal
We visited a hospital in Ocotal and this is one of their defunct defibrillators.
grace
Outside the Sabana Grande Clinic
We happened to be outside the clinic when this ambulance drove up so we pounced on the driver and a nurse and interrogated them a little bit.
i think you can add annotations/translations by clicking on the video, which takes you to the actual youtube page and near the top of the page next to Edit Video, there's a tab that says "annotations."
- Note: the annotations don't work for some reason when you follow the link to youtube. However, they are enabled when you follow the link from an email. I'll send everyone a link to each video so that you can add anotations. See everyone on Sunday!
Michael
Planning while en route to the Central Hospital in Esteli
Caroline, Vicki, Krithika and the rest of the DLab Health team brainstorming in the back of the CARE truck about what questions to ask the nurses, doctors and lab technicians at the central hospital in Esteli.
where do you get your technology?
What are the main differences between the hospital and the health center?
What post-treatment services are offered?
What are the most common problems you see?
If you could redesign your equipment what features would you add?
What causes the technology to break?
Hola! (Addition to post 3/23)
Group I
- Major Lab and Autoclave Storage/Shop
o Very high-tech new equipment but that was hindered by the old and failing technology that supported it. One of the autoclaves had exploded due to pressure failure and no one had fixed it for over two years. Want to explore possibilities to maintain equipment in a hot environment.
Group II
- Oncology Lab, Intensive Care Unit III (Grave cases, mostly pneumonia in newborns and young children), and Neo-Natal Unit
o Many of the oncology lab machines were not atomized thus coagulation, counting cells, me stasis, etc took considerably longer and had to been performed in series. We want to explore how to speed up the manual process and ways to minimize human error (example, in manual coagulation, test tube is held up to the light and “eyeballed”, rather than using laser in automatic machine); multi-patient testing techniques.
o In intensive care unit, major problems with the filter for ventilator. Filters were disposable and when the hospital would run out, they had to wait for up to a month for money to collect so they could go buy a packet of 100-200. Meanwhile, the machines were used without and would daily need to be replaced by an entirely new machine while it was cleaned for use. Want to explore ways for low-cost permanent filter that could be used for back up.
Group III
- All Intensive Care Units, Nephrourology Department, and Neo-Natal Unit
o ICU’s: monitors always had problems with their pulseoximeters. Machines were around 8 years old and the sensors and/or computer would fail. There are no local parts, so when something breaks it is difficult to fix. They keep adding machines to support the process so 3 machines end up doing the same work as one.
o Nephrourology: For dialysis, the filters for blood were really expensive, around $5,000 for 10 patients. Want to explore vital signs monitoring made from locally available parts.
Best,
Caroline
Los aventureros!
Day 2!!
Then, went to CIAS, a public health teaching center, where we visited the D-Lab outpost there. Also talked to a doctors about their frustrations with kiddie nebulizers and arsneic poisoning problems, got some really useful information.
Visit to hospítal was delayed so instead we CLIMBED A VOLCANO. It was great. Much billowing sulphur.
Gatecrashed a small health clinic (in Monimuo), much to the suprise of the head doctor. Got a chance to talk to him, to some other doctors and some patients.Found a lot of interesting design challenges, to do with nebulizers, diabetes, remote diagnostics, sterilization, and some others (which you will hear about later, when we have more time...). By chance came across the medical equipment delivery truck as we were leaving, got to ask them some questions and help them carry the boxes in.
Went back to hotel after a delicious meal, and spent a looooong time
Visiting IIH's H-Lab in Managua
