Ministry of Health and Social Development, Gandaki, Nepal.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Wilderness Environ Med. 2024 Sep;35(3):308-313. doi: 10.1177/10806032241257923. Epub 2024 Aug 2.
The Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) has operated high altitude clinics in Nepal for 50 years, with rising visitor numbers, especially from India, China, and Nepal. New roads have eased access and increased the speed of ascent in some areas. Our aim was to provide a description of the activities, clinical problems, and lecture attendees of the HRA aid post in Manang over one season. We also highlight the evolving challenges of providing healthcare and education in the high Himalayan region. We describe the clinical and educational activities of the HRA aid post in Manang from September 24 to December 1, 2023. Prospective clinical data collection included anonymized patient demographics and diagnoses. Lecture data were taken from the attendee register and by daily manual counts of lecture attendees. We saw 376 patients, 62% of whom were Nepalis. Infectious diseases (42%) and altitude illness (16%) were the most common problems. A total of 846 people from 47 countries attended the daily altitude lectures. Only 5% of attendees were Nepali. Electrical supply interruptions and limitations in medical evacuation options were among the challenges of providing care at a high altitude clinic and preventing altitude illness using educational lectures. Altitude illness remains a common and potentially life-threatening problem, with risks increased by rapid ascent enabled by new road access and by ignorance of risks of altitude among travelers, especially Nepalis. Language barriers in educational outreach call for novel approaches and interventions that will ensure the effectiveness of altitude education.
喜马拉雅救援协会（HRA）在尼泊尔经营高海拔诊所已有 50 年，游客数量不断增加，特别是来自印度、中国和尼泊尔的游客。新的道路使某些地区的进入和上升速度变得更加容易。我们的目的是描述 HRA 救援站在满纳的一个季节内的活动、临床问题和演讲参与者。我们还强调了在高喜马拉雅地区提供医疗保健和教育所面临的不断变化的挑战。我们描述了 2023 年 9 月 24 日至 12 月 1 日期间 HRA 救援站在满纳的临床和教育活动。前瞻性临床数据收集包括匿名患者人口统计学和诊断信息。演讲数据来自与会者登记册，并通过每天手动计算演讲参与者人数获得。我们共接待了 376 名患者，其中 62%是尼泊尔人。传染病（42%）和高原病（16%）是最常见的问题。共有来自 47 个国家的 846 人参加了每日的高原讲座。只有 5%的与会者是尼泊尔人。在高海拔诊所提供医疗服务并通过教育讲座预防高原病时，电力供应中断和医疗后送选择的限制是面临的挑战之一。高原病仍然是一种常见且潜在危及生命的问题，新道路的开通使上升速度加快，以及旅行者，尤其是尼泊尔人对高原风险的无知，增加了发病风险。教育推广中的语言障碍需要新的方法和干预措施，以确保高原教育的有效性。
