Introduction Field Research- Week Three

Field research means searching for people with disabilities in the district around Kimilili. On the 20th and the 21th of August we went to 6 schools were all the disabled people came together. With 3 people (two of us and Leonard or Alex) we were doing diagnose of the people. We write some information down about the patients, like name, age, gender, occupation, status, residence, address, telephone number, medical history, diagnose and treatment. We also make pictures form the patient, one portrait and some pictures of their disabilities. So after that we can make a database of all the patients in the district. We know which problems there are and how we can help. It’s also very handy for Loenard, Jackim and Alex when we are left. It’s also very handy for IcFEM, so they know the problems in the district.

On Monday the 20th we left in the morning to our first school, after 15 minutes driving we arrived. We first had an introduction to the staff of the school. After that we met the patients who already were waiting outside. There were 10 patients with several kinds of disabilities. We split them in two groups and Marleen and Eelke had 5 patients and Merel and Caspar had 5 patients. Some patients we sent to surgery and some we asked to meet with us at DMCC the next week. After we finished the last patient we set off to the second school. It was about a 20 minutes drive. There were around 30 patients with all kind of disabilities and diseases. We didn’t now that we had to make a diagnosis of people with normal diseases, like deaf problem or sightless. It was difficult to say to them that we couldn’t help them. IcFEM can help them but we don’t have the knowledge for those problems. Out of the 30 we made a diagnosis for 15 patients and also some of them had to have first, surgery and afterwards we can help them with prostheses or ortheses.

The last school we visit there were no patients because our visit wasn’t very well arranged. Some people came because they saw our vehicle but they were patients with normal diseases.

The next morning we left early in the morning by matatu and boda boda to go to the first school of the day. Also there were very many people but only a few we could help because of their disabilities. We had the same problem with the second and the third school. At the third school we found two people who wanted a tricycle, so we can help them because of the tricycle project.

On Wednesday we worked out the information of the Monday and Tuesday. We made a database and give it to IcFEM. We also worked on the tricycle document. On Thursday and Friday we went to DMCC to help Alex with some braces and plaster work. We also welded some other stuff and did some regular work.

It was a nice week but we also saw the bad side off the orthopedic work we do. It’s not nice to say to people that we couldn’t help them because we are not doctors. It’s very good for students like us to meet with very disabled people.