By K. Richard Douglas
Doctors, nurses and biomeds all have skills that they can provide to people in developing countries to improve health, longevity and quality of life. Much like the people in churches, who travel to poor areas of the world to build irrigation systems, health clinics and homes, the willingness of all these volunteers to help fellow humans is a gift. In some regards, it might be considered a sacrifice because these efforts most often involve travel, a commitment of time and energy and less than favorable conditions.
One thing that the people who make this type of commitment have in common is that they do not complain about any of these things. They are focused on the mission; to help, render service and improve quality of life.
One HTM professional who has volunteered his time to help people in underserved communities is Brian Gore, EP engineering specialist in Cardiovascular Services at Duke University Health System in Durham, North Carolina. Gore has been on several mission trips.
“The first thing that I can say about going on missions overseas is that it is a humbling, eye-opening experience. I have been on six missions. Three to Kampala, Uganda and three to Tegucigalpa, Honduras; beginning from 2017. Working in a medical facility with unlimited resources, you tend to become accustomed to quick fixes, calling technical support or just having the luxury of shipping a device off for repair. Those things do not exist in third-world countries. Having critical thinking skills and sound technical troubleshooting skills is paramount,” Gore says.
Many clinicians and support professionals from Duke Health have made these trips several times. In addition to volunteering their time and skills, they have also provided medical equipment and entire ORs.
In Gore’s case, he enjoys the opportunity to be a part of the teams that make these trips. He enjoys helping the people who benefit from the team’s interventions.
“I love going on these trips. I would like to thank Duke University Global Health for giving me this opportunity to give my time, energy and expertise to the unfortunate. These missions are one-week long and consist of very long work days usually 10+ hours a day,” Gore says.
He says that it is a lot of work while the team is at the location, but the self-discovery and camaraderie is worthwhile.
“Just the simple fact that we are saving a life, or bettering the quality of life for someone who would not normally have this opportunity, makes it all worth it. I am so inspired from the teams that I travel with. The teams are not the same from trip to trip, nor are the experiences the same. I always learn something different about myself from every trip,” Gore adds.
Assisting as Needed
In a 2013 article on the Duke Raleigh Hospital blog, Dr. Michael Haglund explained that the Duke Global Health Plus program was started in 2007. By 2013, the program had already delivered more than 42 tons of new and used medical equipment.
The program’s value to patients in developing countries extends beyond the expertise offered by world-class clinical volunteers. There are also the medical devices and other medical supplies that are provided along with the expertise of an HTM professional.
In a 2019 article in DukeMed Alumni News, the work of a Duke team in Honduras highlighted an incredible reality facing Honduran patients at that time. If the patient received a diagnosis that their heart required a valve replacement, then the burden was on the patient to gather all of the supplies required for the surgery; including the heart valve and an oxygenator.
While the Duke teams remove this enormous hurdle for the Honduran patients, they also supplement the local biomeds knowledge with the experience of an HTM professional like Gore.
“My role on these trips is explained simply; to keep all devices running properly and safe to use on patients and safe for providers to use. Being the engineer for the camp, the OR is not the only area that has devices; PACU, ICU, sterilization devices, etcetera. These facilities have their own biomed teams, so working with these individuals is very important. Establishing and knowing boundaries of what I work on and repair is crucial. But the objective in a mission camp is to know your role and also assist where needed. If there is help needed positioning a patient, I would step in and assist,” Gore explains.
Gore’s role during the trips was not only to support the efforts of clinical staff, but to also work with the local biomeds and provide insights and experience.
“The mission trips I have been on are teaching and learning opportunities. We would work closely with the native staff. I would work closely with the biomed team and we would bounce ideas off each other. I would show them my techniques and they show me theirs. Modesty goes a long way when interacting with them. In order for it to work, I cannot come across as arrogant [or] condescending. I learn just as much from them as I teach them,” Gore says.
Most of the volunteers in health care who travel to underserved communities to offer their skills feel personal reward and satisfaction from the experience. While physicians and nurses are needed to provide live-saving surgeries, there are also biomeds who play an integral role in these trips, who are enriched as well.