In October 2013, Doctors International launched its first mission to Guyana. GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) faculty members Khashayar Vaziri, M.D., associate professor of surgery, and Paul Dangerfield, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, led a 21-member a multidisciplinary, triage team on a week-long trip to the South American country to treat patients, conduct surgeries, and educate local health care providers at Guyana’s Georgetown Public Hospital and West Demerara Hospital. In addition, the collection of surgeons, surgical residents, anesthesiologists, nurses, surgical techs, and a public health specialist worked with Ministry of Health officials to provide health education outreach to the public. The mission was the first of what Vaziri and Dangerfield hope will be many dispatched to areas of need, both nationally and internationally, to meet the specific health care needs in underserved regions.
Health Care Delivery
During that inaugural trip, the team saw more than 100 patients in clinic and performed approximately 50 urology and general surgery procedures including inguinal hernia repair, cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), hydrocele repair, renal stone removal, nephrectomy (kidney removal) due to renal cancer, partial mastectomy for breast cancer, prostatectomy, and an emergency splenectomy.
Health Care Provider Education
Educational development in the practice and care of surgical patients is a crucial part of Doctors International. Team members conducted daily educational talks with the nursing, administrative, and surgical hospital staff at the Georgetown and West Demerara Hospitals. Session topics ranged from clinical skills such as minimally invasive surgical techniques, to public health matters like prostate cancer screening, and included process improvement discussions surgical care improvement measures.
Patient Education and Outreach
A primary goal for Doctors International is to educate patients and local health care providers in order to improve the existing quality of care at that locale. Each patient considered for surgery received individual consultation with the surgeons and anesthesiologists. Each session allowed for review of disease pathophysiology, surgical options, and preoperative studies. Following surgery, patients were seen by the surgical team to review postoperative care.
With regards to outreach in the country, the team was very active. Using breast cancer awareness month as an incentive, the team, with Guyana’s Chief Medical Officer took to the television outlets including Guyana Today, Pulse Beat, and Twenty Minute Issues to discuss the importance of early breast cancer detection with mammograms and self-breast examinations. The team also published three articles in the Guyana Times newspaper on signs, symptoms, and screening tests for breast and prostate cancer — two diseases that significantly affect the Guyanese population.
