Today was day five of maternity week. The day consisted of, as always, rounds and C-sections. Today felt very surreal to me though because I had two experiences where the tables had turned and instead of me playing the part of student, I instead played the part of teacher. Firstly, one of the medical students from Germany wanted to assist on a C-section as it is her last day at Kiwoko. As she is new to assisting, I stayed in the operating room to help show her which instruments did what and when the surgeon would need those instruments. Later, I was speaking to a couple of medical officers and found out that they were interested in learning some principles of point of care ultrasound. While the hospital has two ultrasounds, one in the outpatient department and one in maternity, medical officers get no training on ultrasound during schooling and had not found time to learn with the gynecologist yet. In the US, I’ve been very fortunate to be exposed to ultrasound since medical school and have used it regularly throughout residency. So, I paid back the medical officers for all the teaching they have given me thus far on tropical diseases, sickle cell disease, and surgical obstetrics by ending the day with an introductory course to ultrasound. We reviewed the controls and functions of the ultrasound, the types of exams and how to program the machine for each exam, and the types of probes and how/when to use them. We also were very lucky as there is a pregnant patient that is staying at the hospital awaiting induction of labor on the 21st as she lives very far away. She was very gracious and allowed us to do an ultrasound scan on her to measure fluid volumes around the baby. We are hoping to continue building on ultrasound principles over the next week until I leave. I guess I was surprised to be in this role here because everything is so new and different to me that I have been very much in the mindset of a learner since I arrived. Medicine, however, is a profession that requires continuous learning and education. This naturally leads to an exchange of information among providers. Today reminded me that it is not only important to continue learning yourself but also to be committed to sharing knowledge with others so that they too may grow in their practice of medicine, no matter where you are in the world. I hope I did my US faculty justice!
Lugandan word of the day: omusawo (noun, doctor)
Medical learning point of the day: While not evidence-based, in low resource settings or places of poverty where hygiene may be an issue, consider giving prophylactic antibiotics after a C-section, such as a combination of amoxicillin and metronidazole, to prevent endometritis and surgical site infections.
