© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
Nursing Study Abroad in Honduras
Melissa Wafer, RN, MSNSoutheastern Louisiana University
School of Nursing
A Collaborative Community Health Project
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
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
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
2004: Nursing Study Abroad
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
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
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
Sustainability
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
SustainabilityEffective humanitarian efforts which provides for the needs of a population
without damaging
the ability of future
generations to provide
for themselves
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
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
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
Short-termMedical Mission
Community Health nursing
Sustainability
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
Desarrollo Comunitario Interinstitucional
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
Cross-Cultural Nursing Project
• Medical mission brigades in Guaimaca and Talanga
• Community Health Promotion (education)
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
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
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
Community Health Project Methods
• Short term Medical Brigade format• Triage --- Health Screening• Physician visit• Pharmacy• Health Education Center• Home visits/family assessments
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
Educational Methods
• Student pairs
• Work groups
• Formative evaluation each night
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
2007 program evaluation
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Males Females Adults Pediatric
Demographics Variables of Honduran Clients
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
2007 Program Evaluation
Diagnoses of Honduran Clients
19%
14%
38%
13%
3%
9%4%
Respiratory
Pain
gastro
dermatitis
UTI/vaginitis
Chronic Dxs
other
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
2007 Program Evaluation: Health Education
• Basic Hygiene• Dental Hygiene• Clean Water
(water born illness)
• Childhood Illness
(fever, cough, cold)• Women’s
Health
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
2008 program goals
© 2000 Southeastern Louisiana University
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/