Calla Brown (MP3) finds inpsiration in the universal language

Posted on behalf of Calla Brown (MP3)

Hope, Adam, and I have variably spent time at both St. Damien's, the pediatric hospital, and St. Luc's, the adult hospital, and Abby has been at St. Damien's.  My favorite part of the day is the morning, when we participate on morning rounds in the observation unit.  Pre-rounding is performed by the overnight generalists, who are physicians that have completed their medical school plus their year of social service (a one year requirement in all countries in Latin America, including the Caribbean, as far as I know, prior to either practicing medicine as a generalist, or completing a specialty residency, of which internal medicine and pediatrics are included).  Rounds are run by the overseeing internist and include the unit nurse and physical therapist.

Rounds are a linguistic panoply.  The charts are in French and rounds waver between French and Haitian Kreyol.  With our presence English is added, with interpretation shared between Hope and all of the internists, who speak impeccable English, and Spanish.  One of the internists won a scholarship to study medicine in Cuba and who actually feels more comfortable with medical Spanish as opposed to medical French, or so his co-generalists say in jest.  I am, as per usual, incredibly inspired by the physicians here.  They have chosen this work and receive very little relative compensation and external esteem, but continue to work so hard for the benefit of patients and their families.   Rounds shift from discussions of physical exam findings, to pathophysiology, to social realities in which patients live, to how to talk with families when their loved one is dying or has passed away.  The physicians frequently talk of competing priorities including the focus on acute care, for example the treatment of infections, and the growing burden of chronic diseases including hypertension, congestive heart failure, type 2 diabetes, and disabilities.  In addition, the topic of palliative care comes up frequently, as there are deaths on rounds, deaths in the emergency room, and deaths in the intensive care unit.

In spite of, or perhaps because of, the mishmash of proverbs, dictums, and the like, the universal language of medicine plays strongly.  Respiratory distress with a resting oxygen saturation of 75% is sadly not uncommon at all, but spurs specific actions from all involved that readily translate.  The same occurs with Kussmaul breathing, and hemiparesis of acute onset.  The underlying causes are different, but the human body continues to fail in predictable ways when it is not supported, either by malnutrition or pneumonia or cancer.  This universal language is like a not-so-secret code, and being here makes me proud that I am learning to speak the language of medicine more fluently and also awestruck by how much more there is to learn.  It has been such a privilege to learn from such wonderful teachers.

Here are two pictures to leave you with from our time here.

Beach in Haiti

Bridge in Haiti