WHO Surgical Safety Checklist: What It Is & Why It Cuts Deaths by 30%
The Alliance for Patient Safety estimates there are 7 million disabling surgical complications and 1 million surgical-related deaths worldwide each year. They identify three primary problems with surgical safety: 1) It is unrecognized as a public health issue.
There is a lack of data on surgery and outcomes (especially in developing countries). There is a failure to use existing safety know-how.
Creating Long-term Impact with Short-term Medical Missions: From Relief to Development
Creating Long-term Impact with Short-term Medical Missions In early 2004, my wife Candi and I embarked on what we thought would be a straightforward mission:…
Walking in Her Shoes: The Power of Empathy in Global Health
The experience of life in the developed world is very different from that of the developing world. How can western health educators understand the lives of the people they serve? They need personal knowledge of the daily challenges that people in the local community face.
A Medical Missions Perspective on Changes to USAID Funding
A Medical Missions Perspective on Changes to USAID Funding By Greg Seager, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Christian Health Service Corps In 1936, sociologist Robert…
Community-Based Malnutrition Strategies: Childhood Malnutrition – Part 2
Growing Moringa as a Childhood Malnutrition Strategy There are a number of health initiatives that can help communities make permanent changes toward ending malnutrition. One…
What is This Thing Called Integrated Management of Childhood Illness – IMCI?
New on Medical Missions 101: When implemented, IMCI can and does reduce early childhood morbidity and mortality. It also improves growth and development among children under five years of age. IMCI is both preventive and curative and is implemented by families and communities as well as by health workers.
Nyankunde: A Blessing for Baraka
CHSC general surgeon and pediatrician Drs. Warren and Lindsey Cooper serve at Nyankunde Hospital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The recent gift of a…
Medical Missions and Participatory Learning and Action (PLA)
PLA Participatory Learning and Action has long been the foundation of best practices in community development. However, I believe it has practical application across all cross-cultural and global health work; in the community and in the hospital.
Childhood Malnutrition: Community-Based Care and Support – Part 1
There is no greater challenge to child survival in the developing world than malnutrition. Managing malnutrition is outside the realm of normal practice for healthcare professionals trained in western countries. As such, it needs to be something health professionals planning to work in the developing world context need to review regularly.
Asking the Right Questions Part 2: Questions medical missionary candidates should ask before selecting a place to serve
Experience has shown me that asking the wrong questions can lead to unnecessary failure on the mission field but what are the right questions? This set of questions deals with matching with a health facility or program as a medical missionary.