Light Weight Gear has Heavy Duty Impact

Physicians Helping Children in Africa

Dan Diamond, MD, The Doctors Clinic and Head Noggin at NogginStorm

Our team of twenty packed tightly as we traveled to the west coast of Africa to dedicate a new orphanage in war-torn Sierra Leone. Although we were each allowed a total of 135 pounds for our international flights, the majority of our bags would carry supplies destined for the 57 orphans at the Children of the Nations Children's Home. Each of us tried to limit our personal items to a maximum of 65 pounds for the twelve day trip.

The children are the most destitute of the destitute. Having lost both parents, they are classified as "double orphans". Usually such children are left to live on the streets and fend for themselves in a society where most families struggle daily to find enough food for their own children. When the children arrive at the Children's Home, they are usually malnourished and their growth has been stunted.

As the team physician it was my duty to keep our team healthy and to perform examinations on all of the newer children in the home. As I planned what to bring I knew that I would most likely be encountering quite a different group of diseases than I usually find in my suburban multi-specialty practice. Choosing my preferred reference text was actually quite easy. I wanted to avoid bringing a heavy text book because I wanted to leave more room for supplies for the children (and I would have to carry my own bags). For the past year I have been using the 5 Minute Clinical Consult in my office on a regular basis. Carrying a concise but complete medical text on my Palm has been extremely valuable. It takes just a few moments to review diseases that I haven't seen in a while. 5MCC is organized in such a manner that it is very quick to locate the information that I need and it is presented in an outlined form that is easy to recall.

In Sierra Leone I encountered two cases of severe osteomylitis and a case of malaria. It was very helpful to be able to review the current recommended treatment plans including the choice of antibiotics. With everyone looking to me as the "expert", it was invaluable to have quality reference materials in the "palm of my hand". One of the children with osteomylitis was only 5 years old. He had been infected for over a month. In the United States I don’t usually manage cases of osteomylitis. Brushing up on the treatment recommendations in the 5 Minute Clinical Consult gave me the confidence to intervene in the care that he was receiving. In Freetown, the capitol of Sierra Leone, there are only two places that perform x-rays. The hospital he was located in was not one of the facilities that was able to do x-rays. In addition, they had only been treating him with penicillin and erythromycin. Based on the recommendations in 5MCC, I insisted that he be transferred to the care of an orthopedic surgeon where he was switched to the recommended antibiotics, placed in a cast and scheduled for surgery. It turned out that he had complete involvement of the tibia with a pathological fracture. Without adequate treatment, he could have lost his leg.

I would highly recommend to any physician that they equip themselves with the 5 Minute Clinical Consult for not only their travels abroad but for their daily use at home. Pound for pound, the 5MCC is the most efficient and accurate medical reference text available. And, fortunately, it doesn't weigh a ton.