NAPA-OT Field School, Guatemala; University of Washington, Department of Global Health, United States.
NAPA-OT Field School, Guatemala.
Soc Sci Med. 2018 Jul;208:117-125. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.05.021. Epub 2018 May 9.
Lack of surgical care has been highlighted as a critical global health problem, and short-term medical missions (STMMs) have become a de facto measure to address this shortfall. Participation in STMMs is an increasingly popular activity for foreign medical professionals to undertake in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where their clinical skills may be in short supply. While there is emerging literature on the STMM phenomenon, patient experiences of surgical missions are underrepresented. This research addresses this gap through thirty-seven in-depth interviews with patients or caregivers who received care from a short-term surgical mission within the three years prior to the four-week data collection period in July and August 2013. Interviews were conducted in Antigua, Guatemala and nearby communities, and participants came from 9 different departments of the country. These first-hand accounts of health-seeking through a surgical mission provide important insights into the benefits and challenges of STMMs that patients encounter, including waiting time, ancillary costs, and access to care. Patient agency in care-seeking is considered within the pluralistic, privatized health care context in Guatemala in which foreign participants deliver STMM care.
缺乏外科护理已被突出为一个全球性的重大健康问题，短期医疗任务（STMMs）已成为解决这一短缺的实际措施。参与短期医疗任务是外国医疗专业人员在中低收入国家（LMICs）中越来越受欢迎的活动，因为这些国家可能缺乏他们的临床技能。尽管有关 STMM 现象的文献不断涌现，但患者对手术任务的体验却鲜有提及。本研究通过对 2013 年 7 月至 8 月为期四周的数据收集之前的三年内接受短期外科任务治疗的 37 名患者或护理人员进行深入访谈，解决了这一差距。访谈在危地马拉的安提瓜及其附近社区进行，参与者来自该国的 9 个不同地区。这些通过外科任务寻求医疗的第一手经验提供了有关患者遇到的 STMM 益处和挑战的重要见解，包括等待时间、辅助费用和获得护理的机会。患者在寻求护理方面的自主权在危地马拉多元化、私有化的医疗保健背景下得到了考虑，外国参与者在该背景下提供短期医疗任务护理。
