Medical Brigades at OU
A medical brigade consists of student volunteers and medical professionals to provide health care to in-need communities. The group functions like a mobile medical unit, setting up small clinics to diagnose and treat patients at no cost. From in-take, to triage, to medical consultations, to filling the prescriptions, the volunteers experience the many realms of the medical profession under the guidance of licensed medical professionals.
Aspects of a Medical Brigade
Intake: Every medical brigade starts with the people of intake. Generally comprised of at least two people depending on the size of the volunteer group, these people write down patients’ name, date of birth, sex, community, etc. It is helpful if the volunteers working in intake have some knowledge of Spanish as they will have to communicate with patients and write down often unfamiliar names.
Triage: This station is usually comprised of nurses and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms/ ailments while volunteers administer glucose tests, take blood pressure, weigh patients, etc.
Consultation Room: This station is comprised of doctors who attend to patients after they have been through triage. Doctors consult, diagnose and then prescribe the medication they feel is best suited for each individual patient. If a doctor comes across an ailment they feel the brigade does not have the proper medication/ equipment to address, that doctor can refer the patient to a local hospital that GB has relations with for further treatment provided free of cost by Global Medical Brigades.
Pharmacy: In this station, prescriptions are filled with either a doctor or pharmacist to approve the finished products and answer volunteers’ questions. Considered by some to be the most hectic station, volunteers in pharmacy should be prepared for long, fast-paced days.
Public Health Education Notes: The adult charla (chat or education station) is ran by the Reyes Irena Program in Honduras. Our medical program lead trains native Hondurans to convey this vital information to the adult patients. Since some of the topics that are discussed in the adult charla may be sensitive for children, teams usually prepare a skit, song, etc. to use to teach the local children public health practices. It is much easier for non native speakers to talk with children. The Charla stations emphasize crucial role of the patient in improving and maintaining his or her own health status and encourage the patient's use of effective prevention and treatment regimens. Our hope is that Charla will increase the early detection of certain clinical conditions and diseases, increase the patient's understanding of his or her own health status, and involve the patient in a team-approach to his or her health care
[insert Ghana Public Health]
REGISTER
Triage: This station is usually comprised of nurses and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms/ ailments while volunteers administer glucose tests, take blood pressure, weigh patients, etc.
Consultation Room: This station is comprised of doctors who attend to patients after they have been through triage. Doctors consult, diagnose and then prescribe the medication they feel is best suited for each individual patient. If a doctor comes across an ailment they feel the brigade does not have the proper medication/ equipment to address, that doctor can refer the patient to a local hospital that GB has relations with for further treatment provided free of cost by Global Medical Brigades.
Pharmacy: In this station, prescriptions are filled with either a doctor or pharmacist to approve the finished products and answer volunteers’ questions. Considered by some to be the most hectic station, volunteers in pharmacy should be prepared for long, fast-paced days.
Public Health Education Notes: The adult charla (chat or education station) is ran by the Reyes Irena Program in Honduras. Our medical program lead trains native Hondurans to convey this vital information to the adult patients. Since some of the topics that are discussed in the adult charla may be sensitive for children, teams usually prepare a skit, song, etc. to use to teach the local children public health practices. It is much easier for non native speakers to talk with children. The Charla stations emphasize crucial role of the patient in improving and maintaining his or her own health status and encourage the patient's use of effective prevention and treatment regimens. Our hope is that Charla will increase the early detection of certain clinical conditions and diseases, increase the patient's understanding of his or her own health status, and involve the patient in a team-approach to his or her health care
[insert Ghana Public Health]
REGISTER