© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University Nursing Study Abroad in Honduras Melissa Wafer, RN, MSN Southeastern Louisiana University School of Nursing [email protected]

© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University

Nursing Study Abroad in Honduras

Melissa Wafer, RN, MSNSoutheastern Louisiana University

School of Nursing

[email protected]

A Collaborative Community Health Project


Southeastern Louisiana University Mission

• Strategic Priority: To address change in a new community of learners through effective instruction and relevant curricula

• Global perspectives are broadened through programs which offer the opportunity to work and study abroad.

• Service-Learning


2004: Nursing Study Abroad


Student Activities• Observational experiences in

public and private medical facilities

• Medical brigade work– Guiamaca– El Cruce

• Talanga Community Health unit – Immunization program

• El Hogar Orphanage


Sustainability


SustainabilityEffective humanitarian efforts which provides for the needs of a population

without damaging

the ability of future

generations to provide

for themselves


Community Health Nursing vs Short-term Medical

Mission• Short term

humanitarian health care project in 3rd world areas

• Address health care of at risk population

• Usually faith based

• 1-2 weeks

• Short term health care project in local community

• Address health care of at risk population

• Public health focus• Ongoing

evaluation


Short-termMedical Mission

Community Health nursing

Sustainability


Desarrollo Comunitario Interinstitucional

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras


Cross-Cultural Nursing Project

• Medical mission brigades in Guaimaca and Talanga

• Community Health Promotion (education)


Population @ RiskDepartment Talanga Guiamac

a

Population 26,756 20,749

Undernourished 33% 36%

Below Poverty 57% 75%

Illiterate 28% 30%

% s running H2O 44% 43%

% s Basic Sanitation

40% 34%

Secretaria de Estado del Despacho Presidencial 2002


Community Health Project Methods

• Short term Medical Brigade format• Triage --- Health Screening• Physician visit• Pharmacy• Health Education Center• Home visits/family assessments


Educational Methods

• Student pairs

• Work groups

• Formative evaluation each night


2007 program evaluation

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Males Females Adults Pediatric

Demographics Variables of Honduran Clients


2007 Program Evaluation

Diagnoses of Honduran Clients

19%

14%

38%

13%

3%

9%4%

Respiratory

Pain

gastro

dermatitis

UTI/vaginitis

Chronic Dxs

other


2007 Program Evaluation: Health Education

• Basic Hygiene• Dental Hygiene• Clean Water

(water born illness)

• Childhood Illness

(fever, cough, cold)• Women’s

Health


2008 program goals


www.selu.edu/[email protected]

• Alkire, S. & E. Newell ( 2005). What can one person do? www.churchpublishin.org

• Cáceres, M.Creating an Unconventional Movment & Working Towards a Positive Future accessed @ projecthonduras.com

• Crigger, N. & Holcomb, L. (2000). Beyond Band-aids: Empowering a honduran community. Journal of Christian Nursing, 17 (1), 30-35.

• Gibboney, R. (2000). Service-learning: Lessons for and from nursing. In, A.B. McBride (Ed.), Nursing & Philantrophy: An Energizing Metaphor for the 21st Century (pp. 43-64). Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

• Keller, L.O., Strohschein, S., Lia-Hoagberg, B., & Schaffer, M. A. (2004). Population-based public health interventions. Public Health Nursing, 21 (5), 453-468.

• Oken, E., Stoffel, E. & Stern, L. (2004). Use of volunteer medical brigades to assess growth in Honduras. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 50 (4), 203-208.

• Secretaria de Estado del Despacho Presidencial. (2002). Informacion por departamento y municipio: anexo 4. Retrieved September 20, 2005, from http://www.projecthonduras.com/maps/statistics.pdf

• Servan-Scheiber. (2000). For what purpose. JAMA, 283 (1), 18-19.

• United Nations. (2005). Health in the millennium development goals. Retrieved September 20, 2005, from http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

Documents

© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University Nursing Study Abroad in Honduras Melissa Wafer, RN, MSN Southeastern Louisiana University School of Nursing [email protected]