Global Brigades’ Commitment to Safety
Global Brigades is committed to operating the safest programs possible, read more about
Global Brigades’ Safety Procedures and Protocals.
7 day brigade (Honduras & Panama)
10 day brigade (Ghana)
Each day in the community is comprised of the following different components that come together to make a successful medical brigade:
1. Location and Setup
2. Intake
3. Triage
4. Consultation
5. Dental Station
6. Charla and Community Health Worker Workshop
7. Pharmacy
8. Additional Information
1. Location and Setup
The physical site of the medical brigade and details of setup will vary depending on the community and available resources. Most often, the site will be a school or church in the village. Spatial areas or different rooms will be designated for distinct functions. Similar to a traditional hospital, patients will be transitioned from intake, to triage, to a consultation, and ultimately the pharmacy.
Each medical brigade station will be equipped with a laptop and Open MRS software to enter patient information. Before being treated, each patient will be interviewed by volunteers to record demographic, vitals, complaints, diagnoses and prescription information into their personal medical record on Open MRS. The medical record is electronically transferred with the patient throughout the brigade stations. The records are ultimately stored for future patient visits, to monitor community health trends, and allow the department to determine the health trends of each community/village in addition to understanding the overall basic medical health needs of Hondurans. In addition, each patient will now be issued a health card that they will take home with him or her. These cards are tailored for adults and children, and will be used as simple, transportable health records.
2. Intake
This part is usually done in conjunction with community volunteers. The intake station is generally comprised of at least four people depending on the size of the volunteer group. It is helpful if the volunteers working in intake have some knowledge of Spanish as they will have to communicate with patients and transcribe unfamiliar names.
Intake volunteers fill out the section of the basic information on the patient’s medical record, which is then used during the triage station.
3. Triage
This station is usually comprised of nurses and skilled individuals, and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms/ ailments while volunteers:
Administer glucose tests for diabetics
Take blood pressure/vitals for those over 40
Weigh children under 12
Take temperature of children under 12 and those who report a fever
Once again, a grasp of Spanish is helpful in order to fill out allergies, medications, and symptoms. Spanish is not required to take blood pressure, blood glucose, etc. although learning a few specific phrases helps.
4. Consultation
This station is comprised of doctors who attend to patients after they have been through triage. Doctors consult, diagnose, and then prescribe the medication they feel is best suited for each individual patient. Please note that Honduran law requires a Honduran doctor to accompany all medical brigades, and that this Honduran doctor will assume all medical liability for treatment received on brigades.We will provide a Honduran doctor to join your brigade; it is not your responsibility to recruit them. Interpreters are of great use here for doctors who do not speak Spanish. However, as translators have rarely been taught how to take a history, this can also be the longest part of the history taking process. To this end, we have updated the intake sheet with common questions to ask about the most common ailments. Translators will be instructed that if one of the complaints on this list is mentioned, to go ahead and ask the follow-up questions and then report to the doctor, allowing for speedier diagnosis of common diseases, and allowing more time with patients that have more complicated complaints.
Once the proper history is taken, the doctor may make a diagnosis, and prescribe medication, as they feel necessary. The consultation room is often a school room, and depending on the location, set-up will vary. Doctors can expect tables and chairs. Students will need to collect, or doctors will need to bring, all other needed supplies for the clinic (gloves, examination equipment, etc.).
5. Dental Station
As primarily a medically-based organization, it is easy to overlook many other facets of life that affect a person’s health and well-being. One of the most easily overlooked, and most tragically so, is dental health. Dental caries account for the most prevalent disease in rural developing villages, and it is a disease you will definitely encounter on the brigades. Since most of the people we treat do not have access to clean water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and generally no access to dentists, the services we provide are priceless. When a patient experiences tooth pain, there is little they can do to alleviate it. Many are left to just deal or to pull out their own teeth without local anesthetics. By providing a well-rounded approach of treatment, prevention, and education, you will be empowering our patients to be rid of one more ache that plagues them.
Each medical brigade, with or without a dentist, will provide this station. Brigaders set up individual cleaning stations. It is imperative to provide this service as prophylaxis for the children, however, any/all adults can be treated, time permitting. This station is best after the doctor consultation station and before the pharmacy. People tend to leave after they have received their medications.
6. Charla & Community Health Worker Workshop
This is one of our newest and most exciting new stations. We realize that education is absolutely essential in order to truly change the healthcare of any community. To this end, we have begun to develop a number of talks on such things as basic hygiene, first aid, and nutrition. Volunteers will receive these packets prior to their brigade to review the material, and, especially those with more proficiency in Spanish, to prepare to present these to the community members on brigades. This station is best setup between the doctors and the pharmacy (as patients tend to leave after they receive their medications). The patients can be seated in front of the lecturer and their prescriptions can be filled while they listen to the presentation. We recommend that your group print out copies of the nutrition and home remedies handouts to pass out to to participants of the charla. Hygiene packs will also be passed out at this station (bags of soap, toothbrushes, floss, etc.)
7. Pharmacy
In this station, prescriptions are filled with either a doctor or pharmacist to approve the finished products and answer volunteers’ questions. Considered by some to be the most high-energy station, volunteers in pharmacy should be prepared for long, fast-paced days. It will behoove the pharmacy to consider how best to set up the pharmacy on the first day (e.g., vitamins and anti-parasite meds by the door since these will be most common), and continue this set-up each day to minimize the time spent searching for a correct medicine. Place all prescriptions for the same patient in one plastic bag. Keeping family’s patient sheets together is important, so they don’t wait on one person’s medicine for a long time. No Spanish is required for this station.
8. Additional Information
Runners
When the pharmacy runs out of a certain type of medicine, a few runners are designated to go update the doctors’ medicine inventory lists (which they use to prescribe). After the brigade, runners should ensure that all medicine inventory lists match (some will be in the pharmacy, others in the clinic). This way, doctors are not prescribing medicines that are no longer available. Runners also refresh supplies that will be needed in triage and the consultation room, such as gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.
Medical Brigades are also encouraged to equip their Runners with walkie-talkies; this facilitates communication between the pharmacy and the physicians, and significantly reduces the amount of time spent running back and forth to the consultation rooms.
Medicine Directions
Translators are responsible for giving patients their medicine and relaying its corresponding instructions. Spanish skills are crucial for conveying complex directions for certain medications. However, those with no Spanish speaking skills can also participate by learning the basic phrases (e.g., Take one vitamin a day = Tome una vitamina cada dia) for the most common, simple medications given.
Medicine Packing
When the volunteers arrive back at the accommodations, the remainder of the day is spent packing and organizing medicine and preparing for the next day’s charlas.
7 day brigade (Honduras & Panama)
10 day brigade (Ghana)
View the “
Medical Brigades Student Involvement” document to learn about students’ roles during a Medical Brigade.
Each day in the community is comprised of the following different components that come together to make a successful medical brigade:
1. Location and Setup
2. Intake
3. Triage
4. Consultation
5. Dental Station
6. Charla and Community Health Worker Workshop
7. Pharmacy
8. Additional Information
1. Location and Setup
The physical site of the medical brigade and details of setup will vary depending on the community and available resources. Most often, the site will be a school or church in the village. Spatial areas or different rooms will be designated for distinct functions. Similar to a traditional hospital, patients will be transitioned from intake, to triage, to a consultation, and ultimately the pharmacy.
Each medical brigade station will be equipped with a laptop and Open MRS software to enter patient information. Before being treated, each patient will be interviewed by volunteers to record demographic, vitals, complaints, diagnoses and prescription information into their personal medical record on Open MRS. The medical record is electronically transferred with the patient throughout the brigade stations. The records are ultimately stored for future patient visits, to monitor community health trends, and allow the department to determine the health trends of each community/village in addition to understanding the overall basic medical health needs of Hondurans. In addition, each patient will now be issued a health card that they will take home with him or her. These cards are tailored for adults and children, and will be used as simple, transportable health records.
2. Intake
This part is usually done in conjunction with community volunteers. The intake station is generally comprised of at least four people depending on the size of the volunteer group. It is helpful if the volunteers working in intake have some knowledge of Spanish as they will have to communicate with patients and transcribe unfamiliar names.
Intake volunteers fill out the section of the basic information on the patient’s medical record, which is then used during the triage station.
3. Triage
This station is usually comprised of nurses and skilled individuals, and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms/ ailments while volunteers:
Administer glucose tests for diabetics
Take blood pressure/vitals for those over 40
Weigh children under 12
Take temperature of children under 12 and those who report a fever
Once again, a grasp of Spanish is helpful in order to fill out allergies, medications, and symptoms. Spanish is not required to take blood pressure, blood glucose, etc. although learning a few specific phrases helps.
4. Consultation
This station is comprised of doctors who attend to patients after they have been through triage. Doctors consult, diagnose, and then prescribe the medication they feel is best suited for each individual patient. Please note that Honduran law requires a Honduran doctor to accompany all medical brigades, and that this Honduran doctor will assume all medical liability for treatment received on brigades.We will provide a Honduran doctor to join your brigade; it is not your responsibility to recruit them. Interpreters are of great use here for doctors who do not speak Spanish. However, as translators have rarely been taught how to take a history, this can also be the longest part of the history taking process. To this end, we have updated the intake sheet with common questions to ask about the most common ailments. Translators will be instructed that if one of the complaints on this list is mentioned, to go ahead and ask the follow-up questions and then report to the doctor, allowing for speedier diagnosis of common diseases, and allowing more time with patients that have more complicated complaints.
Once the proper history is taken, the doctor may make a diagnosis, and prescribe medication, as they feel necessary. The consultation room is often a school room, and depending on the location, set-up will vary. Doctors can expect tables and chairs. Students will need to collect, or doctors will need to bring, all other needed supplies for the clinic (gloves, examination equipment, etc.).
5. Dental Station
As primarily a medically-based organization, it is easy to overlook many other facets of life that affect a person’s health and well-being. One of the most easily overlooked, and most tragically so, is dental health. Dental caries account for the most prevalent disease in rural developing villages, and it is a disease you will definitely encounter on the brigades. Since most of the people we treat do not have access to clean water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and generally no access to dentists, the services we provide are priceless. When a patient experiences tooth pain, there is little they can do to alleviate it. Many are left to just deal or to pull out their own teeth without local anesthetics. By providing a well-rounded approach of treatment, prevention, and education, you will be empowering our patients to be rid of one more ache that plagues them.
Each medical brigade, with or without a dentist, will provide this station. Brigaders set up individual cleaning stations. It is imperative to provide this service as prophylaxis for the children, however, any/all adults can be treated, time permitting. This station is best after the doctor consultation station and before the pharmacy. People tend to leave after they have received their medications.
6. Charla & Community Health Worker Workshop
This is one of our newest and most exciting new stations. We realize that education is absolutely essential in order to truly change the healthcare of any community. To this end, we have begun to develop a number of talks on such things as basic hygiene, first aid, and nutrition. Volunteers will receive these packets prior to their brigade to review the material, and, especially those with more proficiency in Spanish, to prepare to present these to the community members on brigades. This station is best setup between the doctors and the pharmacy (as patients tend to leave after they receive their medications). The patients can be seated in front of the lecturer and their prescriptions can be filled while they listen to the presentation. We recommend that your group print out copies of the nutrition and home remedies handouts to pass out to to participants of the charla. Hygiene packs will also be passed out at this station (bags of soap, toothbrushes, floss, etc.)
7. Pharmacy
In this station, prescriptions are filled with either a doctor or pharmacist to approve the finished products and answer volunteers’ questions. Considered by some to be the most high-energy station, volunteers in pharmacy should be prepared for long, fast-paced days. It will behoove the pharmacy to consider how best to set up the pharmacy on the first day (e.g., vitamins and anti-parasite meds by the door since these will be most common), and continue this set-up each day to minimize the time spent searching for a correct medicine. Place all prescriptions for the same patient in one plastic bag. Keeping family’s patient sheets together is important, so they don’t wait on one person’s medicine for a long time. No Spanish is required for this station.
8. Additional Information
Runners
When the pharmacy runs out of a certain type of medicine, a few runners are designated to go update the doctors’ medicine inventory lists (which they use to prescribe). After the brigade, runners should ensure that all medicine inventory lists match (some will be in the pharmacy, others in the clinic). This way, doctors are not prescribing medicines that are no longer available. Runners also refresh supplies that will be needed in triage and the consultation room, such as gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.
Medical Brigades are also encouraged to equip their Runners with walkie-talkies; this facilitates communication between the pharmacy and the physicians, and significantly reduces the amount of time spent running back and forth to the consultation rooms.
Medicine Directions
Translators are responsible for giving patients their medicine and relaying its corresponding instructions. Spanish skills are crucial for conveying complex directions for certain medications. However, those with no Spanish speaking skills can also participate by learning the basic phrases (e.g., Take one vitamin a day = Tome una vitamina cada dia) for the most common, simple medications given.
Medicine Packing
When the volunteers arrive back at the accommodations, the remainder of the day is spent packing and organizing medicine and preparing for the next day’s charlas.
7 day brigade (Honduras & Panama)
10 day brigade (Ghana)
View the “
Medical Brigades Student Involvement” document to learn about students’ roles during a Medical Brigade.
Each day in the community is comprised of the following different components that come together to make a successful medical brigade:
1. Location and Setup
2. Intake
3. Triage
4. Consultation
5. Dental Station
6. Charla and Community Health Worker Workshop
7. Pharmacy
8. Additional Information
1. Location and Setup
The physical site of the medical brigade and details of setup will vary depending on the community and available resources. Most often, the site will be a school or church in the village. Spatial areas or different rooms will be designated for distinct functions. Similar to a traditional hospital, patients will be transitioned from intake, to triage, to a consultation, and ultimately the pharmacy.
Each medical brigade station will be equipped with a laptop and Open MRS software to enter patient information. Before being treated, each patient will be interviewed by volunteers to record demographic, vitals, complaints, diagnoses and prescription information into their personal medical record on Open MRS. The medical record is electronically transferred with the patient throughout the brigade stations. The records are ultimately stored for future patient visits, to monitor community health trends, and allow the department to determine the health trends of each community/village in addition to understanding the overall basic medical health needs of Hondurans. In addition, each patient will now be issued a health card that they will take home with him or her. These cards are tailored for adults and children, and will be used as simple, transportable health records.
2. Intake
This part is usually done in conjunction with community volunteers. The intake station is generally comprised of at least four people depending on the size of the volunteer group. It is helpful if the volunteers working in intake have some knowledge of Spanish as they will have to communicate with patients and transcribe unfamiliar names.
Intake volunteers fill out the section of the basic information on the patient’s medical record, which is then used during the triage station.
3. Triage
This station is usually comprised of nurses and skilled individuals, and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms/ ailments while volunteers:
Administer glucose tests for diabetics
Take blood pressure/vitals for those over 40
Weigh children under 12
Take temperature of children under 12 and those who report a fever
Once again, a grasp of Spanish is helpful in order to fill out allergies, medications, and symptoms. Spanish is not required to take blood pressure, blood glucose, etc. although learning a few specific phrases helps.
4. Consultation
This station is comprised of doctors who attend to patients after they have been through triage. Doctors consult, diagnose, and then prescribe the medication they feel is best suited for each individual patient. Please note that Honduran law requires a Honduran doctor to accompany all medical brigades, and that this Honduran doctor will assume all medical liability for treatment received on brigades.We will provide a Honduran doctor to join your brigade; it is not your responsibility to recruit them. Interpreters are of great use here for doctors who do not speak Spanish. However, as translators have rarely been taught how to take a history, this can also be the longest part of the history taking process. To this end, we have updated the intake sheet with common questions to ask about the most common ailments. Translators will be instructed that if one of the complaints on this list is mentioned, to go ahead and ask the follow-up questions and then report to the doctor, allowing for speedier diagnosis of common diseases, and allowing more time with patients that have more complicated complaints.
Once the proper history is taken, the doctor may make a diagnosis, and prescribe medication, as they feel necessary. The consultation room is often a school room, and depending on the location, set-up will vary. Doctors can expect tables and chairs. Students will need to collect, or doctors will need to bring, all other needed supplies for the clinic (gloves, examination equipment, etc.).
5. Dental Station
As primarily a medically-based organization, it is easy to overlook many other facets of life that affect a person’s health and well-being. One of the most easily overlooked, and most tragically so, is dental health. Dental caries account for the most prevalent disease in rural developing villages, and it is a disease you will definitely encounter on the brigades. Since most of the people we treat do not have access to clean water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and generally no access to dentists, the services we provide are priceless. When a patient experiences tooth pain, there is little they can do to alleviate it. Many are left to just deal or to pull out their own teeth without local anesthetics. By providing a well-rounded approach of treatment, prevention, and education, you will be empowering our patients to be rid of one more ache that plagues them.
Each medical brigade, with or without a dentist, will provide this station. Brigaders set up individual cleaning stations. It is imperative to provide this service as prophylaxis for the children, however, any/all adults can be treated, time permitting. This station is best after the doctor consultation station and before the pharmacy. People tend to leave after they have received their medications.
6. Charla & Community Health Worker Workshop
This is one of our newest and most exciting new stations. We realize that education is absolutely essential in order to truly change the healthcare of any community. To this end, we have begun to develop a number of talks on such things as basic hygiene, first aid, and nutrition. Volunteers will receive these packets prior to their brigade to review the material, and, especially those with more proficiency in Spanish, to prepare to present these to the community members on brigades. This station is best setup between the doctors and the pharmacy (as patients tend to leave after they receive their medications). The patients can be seated in front of the lecturer and their prescriptions can be filled while they listen to the presentation. We recommend that your group print out copies of the nutrition and home remedies handouts to pass out to to participants of the charla. Hygiene packs will also be passed out at this station (bags of soap, toothbrushes, floss, etc.)
7. Pharmacy
In this station, prescriptions are filled with either a doctor or pharmacist to approve the finished products and answer volunteers’ questions. Considered by some to be the most high-energy station, volunteers in pharmacy should be prepared for long, fast-paced days. It will behoove the pharmacy to consider how best to set up the pharmacy on the first day (e.g., vitamins and anti-parasite meds by the door since these will be most common), and continue this set-up each day to minimize the time spent searching for a correct medicine. Place all prescriptions for the same patient in one plastic bag. Keeping family’s patient sheets together is important, so they don’t wait on one person’s medicine for a long time. No Spanish is required for this station.
8. Additional Information
Runners
When the pharmacy runs out of a certain type of medicine, a few runners are designated to go update the doctors’ medicine inventory lists (which they use to prescribe). After the brigade, runners should ensure that all medicine inventory lists match (some will be in the pharmacy, others in the clinic). This way, doctors are not prescribing medicines that are no longer available. Runners also refresh supplies that will be needed in triage and the consultation room, such as gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.
Medical Brigades are also encouraged to equip their Runners with walkie-talkies; this facilitates communication between the pharmacy and the physicians, and significantly reduces the amount of time spent running back and forth to the consultation rooms.
Medicine Directions
Translators are responsible for giving patients their medicine and relaying its corresponding instructions. Spanish skills are crucial for conveying complex directions for certain medications. However, those with no Spanish speaking skills can also participate by learning the basic phrases (e.g., Take one vitamin a day = Tome una vitamina cada dia) for the most common, simple medications given.
Medicine Packing
When the volunteers arrive back at the accommodations, the remainder of the day is spent packing and organizing medicine and preparing for the next day’s charlas.
7 day brigade (Honduras & Panama)
10 day brigade (Ghana)
View the “
Medical Brigades Student Involvement” document to learn about students’ roles during a Medical Brigade.
Each day in the community is comprised of the following different components that come together to make a successful medical brigade:
1. Location and Setup
2. Intake
3. Triage
4. Consultation
5. Dental Station
6. Charla and Community Health Worker Workshop
7. Pharmacy
8. Additional Information
1. Location and Setup
The physical site of the medical brigade and details of setup will vary depending on the community and available resources. Most often, the site will be a school or church in the village. Spatial areas or different rooms will be designated for distinct functions. Similar to a traditional hospital, patients will be transitioned from intake, to triage, to a consultation, and ultimately the pharmacy.
Each medical brigade station will be equipped with a laptop and Open MRS software to enter patient information. Before being treated, each patient will be interviewed by volunteers to record demographic, vitals, complaints, diagnoses and prescription information into their personal medical record on Open MRS. The medical record is electronically transferred with the patient throughout the brigade stations. The records are ultimately stored for future patient visits, to monitor community health trends, and allow the department to determine the health trends of each community/village in addition to understanding the overall basic medical health needs of Hondurans. In addition, each patient will now be issued a health card that they will take home with him or her. These cards are tailored for adults and children, and will be used as simple, transportable health records.
2. Intake
This part is usually done in conjunction with community volunteers. The intake station is generally comprised of at least four people depending on the size of the volunteer group. It is helpful if the volunteers working in intake have some knowledge of Spanish as they will have to communicate with patients and transcribe unfamiliar names.
Intake volunteers fill out the section of the basic information on the patient’s medical record, which is then used during the triage station.
3. Triage
This station is usually comprised of nurses and skilled individuals, and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms/ ailments while volunteers:
Administer glucose tests for diabetics
Take blood pressure/vitals for those over 40
Weigh children under 12
Take temperature of children under 12 and those who report a fever
Once again, a grasp of Spanish is helpful in order to fill out allergies, medications, and symptoms. Spanish is not required to take blood pressure, blood glucose, etc. although learning a few specific phrases helps.
4. Consultation
This station is comprised of doctors who attend to patients after they have been through triage. Doctors consult, diagnose, and then prescribe the medication they feel is best suited for each individual patient. Please note that Honduran law requires a Honduran doctor to accompany all medical brigades, and that this Honduran doctor will assume all medical liability for treatment received on brigades.We will provide a Honduran doctor to join your brigade; it is not your responsibility to recruit them. Interpreters are of great use here for doctors who do not speak Spanish. However, as translators have rarely been taught how to take a history, this can also be the longest part of the history taking process. To this end, we have updated the intake sheet with common questions to ask about the most common ailments. Translators will be instructed that if one of the complaints on this list is mentioned, to go ahead and ask the follow-up questions and then report to the doctor, allowing for speedier diagnosis of common diseases, and allowing more time with patients that have more complicated complaints.
Once the proper history is taken, the doctor may make a diagnosis, and prescribe medication, as they feel necessary. The consultation room is often a school room, and depending on the location, set-up will vary. Doctors can expect tables and chairs. Students will need to collect, or doctors will need to bring, all other needed supplies for the clinic (gloves, examination equipment, etc.).
5. Dental Station
As primarily a medically-based organization, it is easy to overlook many other facets of life that affect a person’s health and well-being. One of the most easily overlooked, and most tragically so, is dental health. Dental caries account for the most prevalent disease in rural developing villages, and it is a disease you will definitely encounter on the brigades. Since most of the people we treat do not have access to clean water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and generally no access to dentists, the services we provide are priceless. When a patient experiences tooth pain, there is little they can do to alleviate it. Many are left to just deal or to pull out their own teeth without local anesthetics. By providing a well-rounded approach of treatment, prevention, and education, you will be empowering our patients to be rid of one more ache that plagues them.
Each medical brigade, with or without a dentist, will provide this station. Brigaders set up individual cleaning stations. It is imperative to provide this service as prophylaxis for the children, however, any/all adults can be treated, time permitting. This station is best after the doctor consultation station and before the pharmacy. People tend to leave after they have received their medications.
6. Charla & Community Health Worker Workshop
This is one of our newest and most exciting new stations. We realize that education is absolutely essential in order to truly change the healthcare of any community. To this end, we have begun to develop a number of talks on such things as basic hygiene, first aid, and nutrition. Volunteers will receive these packets prior to their brigade to review the material, and, especially those with more proficiency in Spanish, to prepare to present these to the community members on brigades. This station is best setup between the doctors and the pharmacy (as patients tend to leave after they receive their medications). The patients can be seated in front of the lecturer and their prescriptions can be filled while they listen to the presentation. We recommend that your group print out copies of the nutrition and home remedies handouts to pass out to to participants of the charla. Hygiene packs will also be passed out at this station (bags of soap, toothbrushes, floss, etc.)
7. Pharmacy
In this station, prescriptions are filled with either a doctor or pharmacist to approve the finished products and answer volunteers’ questions. Considered by some to be the most high-energy station, volunteers in pharmacy should be prepared for long, fast-paced days. It will behoove the pharmacy to consider how best to set up the pharmacy on the first day (e.g., vitamins and anti-parasite meds by the door since these will be most common), and continue this set-up each day to minimize the time spent searching for a correct medicine. Place all prescriptions for the same patient in one plastic bag. Keeping family’s patient sheets together is important, so they don’t wait on one person’s medicine for a long time. No Spanish is required for this station.
8. Additional Information
Runners
When the pharmacy runs out of a certain type of medicine, a few runners are designated to go update the doctors’ medicine inventory lists (which they use to prescribe). After the brigade, runners should ensure that all medicine inventory lists match (some will be in the pharmacy, others in the clinic). This way, doctors are not prescribing medicines that are no longer available. Runners also refresh supplies that will be needed in triage and the consultation room, such as gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.
Medical Brigades are also encouraged to equip their Runners with walkie-talkies; this facilitates communication between the pharmacy and the physicians, and significantly reduces the amount of time spent running back and forth to the consultation rooms.
Medicine Directions
Translators are responsible for giving patients their medicine and relaying its corresponding instructions. Spanish skills are crucial for conveying complex directions for certain medications. However, those with no Spanish speaking skills can also participate by learning the basic phrases (e.g., Take one vitamin a day = Tome una vitamina cada dia) for the most common, simple medications given.
Medicine Packing
When the volunteers arrive back at the accommodations, the remainder of the day is spent packing and organizing medicine and preparing for the next day’s charlas.
7 day brigade (Honduras & Panama)
10 day brigade (Ghana)
View the “
Medical Brigades Student Involvement” document to learn about students’ roles during a Medical Brigade.
Each day in the community is comprised of the following different components that come together to make a successful medical brigade:
1. Location and Setup
2. Intake
3. Triage
4. Consultation
5. Dental Station
6. Charla and Community Health Worker Workshop
7. Pharmacy
8. Additional Information
1. Location and Setup
The physical site of the medical brigade and details of setup will vary depending on the community and available resources. Most often, the site will be a school or church in the village. Spatial areas or different rooms will be designated for distinct functions. Similar to a traditional hospital, patients will be transitioned from intake, to triage, to a consultation, and ultimately the pharmacy.
Each medical brigade station will be equipped with a laptop and Open MRS software to enter patient information. Before being treated, each patient will be interviewed by volunteers to record demographic, vitals, complaints, diagnoses and prescription information into their personal medical record on Open MRS. The medical record is electronically transferred with the patient throughout the brigade stations. The records are ultimately stored for future patient visits, to monitor community health trends, and allow the department to determine the health trends of each community/village in addition to understanding the overall basic medical health needs of Hondurans. In addition, each patient will now be issued a health card that they will take home with him or her. These cards are tailored for adults and children, and will be used as simple, transportable health records.
2. Intake
This part is usually done in conjunction with community volunteers. The intake station is generally comprised of at least four people depending on the size of the volunteer group. It is helpful if the volunteers working in intake have some knowledge of Spanish as they will have to communicate with patients and transcribe unfamiliar names.
Intake volunteers fill out the section of the basic information on the patient’s medical record, which is then used during the triage station.
3. Triage
This station is usually comprised of nurses and skilled individuals, and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms/ ailments while volunteers:
Administer glucose tests for diabetics
Take blood pressure/vitals for those over 40
Weigh children under 12
Take temperature of children under 12 and those who report a fever
Once again, a grasp of Spanish is helpful in order to fill out allergies, medications, and symptoms. Spanish is not required to take blood pressure, blood glucose, etc. although learning a few specific phrases helps.
4. Consultation
This station is comprised of doctors who attend to patients after they have been through triage. Doctors consult, diagnose, and then prescribe the medication they feel is best suited for each individual patient. Please note that Honduran law requires a Honduran doctor to accompany all medical brigades, and that this Honduran doctor will assume all medical liability for treatment received on brigades.We will provide a Honduran doctor to join your brigade; it is not your responsibility to recruit them. Interpreters are of great use here for doctors who do not speak Spanish. However, as translators have rarely been taught how to take a history, this can also be the longest part of the history taking process. To this end, we have updated the intake sheet with common questions to ask about the most common ailments. Translators will be instructed that if one of the complaints on this list is mentioned, to go ahead and ask the follow-up questions and then report to the doctor, allowing for speedier diagnosis of common diseases, and allowing more time with patients that have more complicated complaints.
Once the proper history is taken, the doctor may make a diagnosis, and prescribe medication, as they feel necessary. The consultation room is often a school room, and depending on the location, set-up will vary. Doctors can expect tables and chairs. Students will need to collect, or doctors will need to bring, all other needed supplies for the clinic (gloves, examination equipment, etc.).
5. Dental Station
As primarily a medically-based organization, it is easy to overlook many other facets of life that affect a person’s health and well-being. One of the most easily overlooked, and most tragically so, is dental health. Dental caries account for the most prevalent disease in rural developing villages, and it is a disease you will definitely encounter on the brigades. Since most of the people we treat do not have access to clean water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and generally no access to dentists, the services we provide are priceless. When a patient experiences tooth pain, there is little they can do to alleviate it. Many are left to just deal or to pull out their own teeth without local anesthetics. By providing a well-rounded approach of treatment, prevention, and education, you will be empowering our patients to be rid of one more ache that plagues them.
Each medical brigade, with or without a dentist, will provide this station. Brigaders set up individual cleaning stations. It is imperative to provide this service as prophylaxis for the children, however, any/all adults can be treated, time permitting. This station is best after the doctor consultation station and before the pharmacy. People tend to leave after they have received their medications.
6. Charla & Community Health Worker Workshop
This is one of our newest and most exciting new stations. We realize that education is absolutely essential in order to truly change the healthcare of any community. To this end, we have begun to develop a number of talks on such things as basic hygiene, first aid, and nutrition. Volunteers will receive these packets prior to their brigade to review the material, and, especially those with more proficiency in Spanish, to prepare to present these to the community members on brigades. This station is best setup between the doctors and the pharmacy (as patients tend to leave after they receive their medications). The patients can be seated in front of the lecturer and their prescriptions can be filled while they listen to the presentation. We recommend that your group print out copies of the nutrition and home remedies handouts to pass out to to participants of the charla. Hygiene packs will also be passed out at this station (bags of soap, toothbrushes, floss, etc.)
7. Pharmacy
In this station, prescriptions are filled with either a doctor or pharmacist to approve the finished products and answer volunteers’ questions. Considered by some to be the most high-energy station, volunteers in pharmacy should be prepared for long, fast-paced days. It will behoove the pharmacy to consider how best to set up the pharmacy on the first day (e.g., vitamins and anti-parasite meds by the door since these will be most common), and continue this set-up each day to minimize the time spent searching for a correct medicine. Place all prescriptions for the same patient in one plastic bag. Keeping family’s patient sheets together is important, so they don’t wait on one person’s medicine for a long time. No Spanish is required for this station.
8. Additional Information
Runners
When the pharmacy runs out of a certain type of medicine, a few runners are designated to go update the doctors’ medicine inventory lists (which they use to prescribe). After the brigade, runners should ensure that all medicine inventory lists match (some will be in the pharmacy, others in the clinic). This way, doctors are not prescribing medicines that are no longer available. Runners also refresh supplies that will be needed in triage and the consultation room, such as gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.
Medical Brigades are also encouraged to equip their Runners with walkie-talkies; this facilitates communication between the pharmacy and the physicians, and significantly reduces the amount of time spent running back and forth to the consultation rooms.
Medicine Directions
Translators are responsible for giving patients their medicine and relaying its corresponding instructions. Spanish skills are crucial for conveying complex directions for certain medications. However, those with no Spanish speaking skills can also participate by learning the basic phrases (e.g., Take one vitamin a day = Tome una vitamina cada dia) for the most common, simple medications given.
Medicine Packing
When the volunteers arrive back at the accommodations, the remainder of the day is spent packing and organizing medicine and preparing for the next day’s charlas.
7 day brigade (Honduras & Panama)
10 day brigade (Ghana)
View the “
Medical Brigades Student Involvement” document to learn about students’ roles during a Medical Brigade.
Each day in the community is comprised of the following different components that come together to make a successful medical brigade:
1. Location and Setup
2. Intake
3. Triage
4. Consultation
5. Dental Station
6. Charla and Community Health Worker Workshop
7. Pharmacy
8. Additional Information
1. Location and Setup
The physical site of the medical brigade and details of setup will vary depending on the community and available resources. Most often, the site will be a school or church in the village. Spatial areas or different rooms will be designated for distinct functions. Similar to a traditional hospital, patients will be transitioned from intake, to triage, to a consultation, and ultimately the pharmacy.
Each medical brigade station will be equipped with a laptop and Open MRS software to enter patient information. Before being treated, each patient will be interviewed by volunteers to record demographic, vitals, complaints, diagnoses and prescription information into their personal medical record on Open MRS. The medical record is electronically transferred with the patient throughout the brigade stations. The records are ultimately stored for future patient visits, to monitor community health trends, and allow the department to determine the health trends of each community/village in addition to understanding the overall basic medical health needs of Hondurans. In addition, each patient will now be issued a health card that they will take home with him or her. These cards are tailored for adults and children, and will be used as simple, transportable health records.
2. Intake
This part is usually done in conjunction with community volunteers. The intake station is generally comprised of at least four people depending on the size of the volunteer group. It is helpful if the volunteers working in intake have some knowledge of Spanish as they will have to communicate with patients and transcribe unfamiliar names.
Intake volunteers fill out the section of the basic information on the patient’s medical record, which is then used during the triage station.
3. Triage
This station is usually comprised of nurses and skilled individuals, and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms/ ailments while volunteers:
Administer glucose tests for diabetics
Take blood pressure/vitals for those over 40
Weigh children under 12
Take temperature of children under 12 and those who report a fever
Once again, a grasp of Spanish is helpful in order to fill out allergies, medications, and symptoms. Spanish is not required to take blood pressure, blood glucose, etc. although learning a few specific phrases helps.
4. Consultation
This station is comprised of doctors who attend to patients after they have been through triage. Doctors consult, diagnose, and then prescribe the medication they feel is best suited for each individual patient. Please note that Honduran law requires a Honduran doctor to accompany all medical brigades, and that this Honduran doctor will assume all medical liability for treatment received on brigades.We will provide a Honduran doctor to join your brigade; it is not your responsibility to recruit them. Interpreters are of great use here for doctors who do not speak Spanish. However, as translators have rarely been taught how to take a history, this can also be the longest part of the history taking process. To this end, we have updated the intake sheet with common questions to ask about the most common ailments. Translators will be instructed that if one of the complaints on this list is mentioned, to go ahead and ask the follow-up questions and then report to the doctor, allowing for speedier diagnosis of common diseases, and allowing more time with patients that have more complicated complaints.
Once the proper history is taken, the doctor may make a diagnosis, and prescribe medication, as they feel necessary. The consultation room is often a school room, and depending on the location, set-up will vary. Doctors can expect tables and chairs. Students will need to collect, or doctors will need to bring, all other needed supplies for the clinic (gloves, examination equipment, etc.).
5. Dental Station
As primarily a medically-based organization, it is easy to overlook many other facets of life that affect a person’s health and well-being. One of the most easily overlooked, and most tragically so, is dental health. Dental caries account for the most prevalent disease in rural developing villages, and it is a disease you will definitely encounter on the brigades. Since most of the people we treat do not have access to clean water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and generally no access to dentists, the services we provide are priceless. When a patient experiences tooth pain, there is little they can do to alleviate it. Many are left to just deal or to pull out their own teeth without local anesthetics. By providing a well-rounded approach of treatment, prevention, and education, you will be empowering our patients to be rid of one more ache that plagues them.
Each medical brigade, with or without a dentist, will provide this station. Brigaders set up individual cleaning stations. It is imperative to provide this service as prophylaxis for the children, however, any/all adults can be treated, time permitting. This station is best after the doctor consultation station and before the pharmacy. People tend to leave after they have received their medications.
6. Charla & Community Health Worker Workshop
This is one of our newest and most exciting new stations. We realize that education is absolutely essential in order to truly change the healthcare of any community. To this end, we have begun to develop a number of talks on such things as basic hygiene, first aid, and nutrition. Volunteers will receive these packets prior to their brigade to review the material, and, especially those with more proficiency in Spanish, to prepare to present these to the community members on brigades. This station is best setup between the doctors and the pharmacy (as patients tend to leave after they receive their medications). The patients can be seated in front of the lecturer and their prescriptions can be filled while they listen to the presentation. We recommend that your group print out copies of the nutrition and home remedies handouts to pass out to to participants of the charla. Hygiene packs will also be passed out at this station (bags of soap, toothbrushes, floss, etc.)
7. Pharmacy
In this station, prescriptions are filled with either a doctor or pharmacist to approve the finished products and answer volunteers’ questions. Considered by some to be the most high-energy station, volunteers in pharmacy should be prepared for long, fast-paced days. It will behoove the pharmacy to consider how best to set up the pharmacy on the first day (e.g., vitamins and anti-parasite meds by the door since these will be most common), and continue this set-up each day to minimize the time spent searching for a correct medicine. Place all prescriptions for the same patient in one plastic bag. Keeping family’s patient sheets together is important, so they don’t wait on one person’s medicine for a long time. No Spanish is required for this station.
8. Additional Information
Runners
When the pharmacy runs out of a certain type of medicine, a few runners are designated to go update the doctors’ medicine inventory lists (which they use to prescribe). After the brigade, runners should ensure that all medicine inventory lists match (some will be in the pharmacy, others in the clinic). This way, doctors are not prescribing medicines that are no longer available. Runners also refresh supplies that will be needed in triage and the consultation room, such as gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.
Medical Brigades are also encouraged to equip their Runners with walkie-talkies; this facilitates communication between the pharmacy and the physicians, and significantly reduces the amount of time spent running back and forth to the consultation rooms.
Medicine Directions
Translators are responsible for giving patients their medicine and relaying its corresponding instructions. Spanish skills are crucial for conveying complex directions for certain medications. However, those with no Spanish speaking skills can also participate by learning the basic phrases (e.g., Take one vitamin a day = Tome una vitamina cada dia) for the most common, simple medications given.
Medicine Packing
When the volunteers arrive back at the accommodations, the remainder of the day is spent packing and organizing medicine and preparing for the next day’s charlas.
7 day brigade (Honduras & Panama)
10 day brigade (Ghana)
View the “
Medical Brigades Student Involvement” document to learn about students’ roles during a Medical Brigade.
Each day in the community is comprised of the following different components that come together to make a successful medical brigade:
1. Location and Setup
2. Intake
3. Triage
4. Consultation
5. Dental Station
6. Charla and Community Health Worker Workshop
7. Pharmacy
8. Additional Information
1. Location and Setup
The physical site of the medical brigade and details of setup will vary depending on the community and available resources. Most often, the site will be a school or church in the village. Spatial areas or different rooms will be designated for distinct functions. Similar to a traditional hospital, patients will be transitioned from intake, to triage, to a consultation, and ultimately the pharmacy.
Each medical brigade station will be equipped with a laptop and Open MRS software to enter patient information. Before being treated, each patient will be interviewed by volunteers to record demographic, vitals, complaints, diagnoses and prescription information into their personal medical record on Open MRS. The medical record is electronically transferred with the patient throughout the brigade stations. The records are ultimately stored for future patient visits, to monitor community health trends, and allow the department to determine the health trends of each community/village in addition to understanding the overall basic medical health needs of Hondurans. In addition, each patient will now be issued a health card that they will take home with him or her. These cards are tailored for adults and children, and will be used as simple, transportable health records.
2. Intake
This part is usually done in conjunction with community volunteers. The intake station is generally comprised of at least four people depending on the size of the volunteer group. It is helpful if the volunteers working in intake have some knowledge of Spanish as they will have to communicate with patients and transcribe unfamiliar names.
Intake volunteers fill out the section of the basic information on the patient’s medical record, which is then used during the triage station.
3. Triage
This station is usually comprised of nurses and skilled individuals, and is the next stop for patients after intake. In triage, patients relay their symptoms/ ailments while volunteers:
Administer glucose tests for diabetics
Take blood pressure/vitals for those over 40
Weigh children under 12
Take temperature of children under 12 and those who report a fever
Once again, a grasp of Spanish is helpful in order to fill out allergies, medications, and symptoms. Spanish is not required to take blood pressure, blood glucose, etc. although learning a few specific phrases helps.
4. Consultation
This station is comprised of doctors who attend to patients after they have been through triage. Doctors consult, diagnose, and then prescribe the medication they feel is best suited for each individual patient. Please note that Honduran law requires a Honduran doctor to accompany all medical brigades, and that this Honduran doctor will assume all medical liability for treatment received on brigades.We will provide a Honduran doctor to join your brigade; it is not your responsibility to recruit them. Interpreters are of great use here for doctors who do not speak Spanish. However, as translators have rarely been taught how to take a history, this can also be the longest part of the history taking process. To this end, we have updated the intake sheet with common questions to ask about the most common ailments. Translators will be instructed that if one of the complaints on this list is mentioned, to go ahead and ask the follow-up questions and then report to the doctor, allowing for speedier diagnosis of common diseases, and allowing more time with patients that have more complicated complaints.
Once the proper history is taken, the doctor may make a diagnosis, and prescribe medication, as they feel necessary. The consultation room is often a school room, and depending on the location, set-up will vary. Doctors can expect tables and chairs. Students will need to collect, or doctors will need to bring, all other needed supplies for the clinic (gloves, examination equipment, etc.).
5. Dental Station
As primarily a medically-based organization, it is easy to overlook many other facets of life that affect a person’s health and well-being. One of the most easily overlooked, and most tragically so, is dental health. Dental caries account for the most prevalent disease in rural developing villages, and it is a disease you will definitely encounter on the brigades. Since most of the people we treat do not have access to clean water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and generally no access to dentists, the services we provide are priceless. When a patient experiences tooth pain, there is little they can do to alleviate it. Many are left to just deal or to pull out their own teeth without local anesthetics. By providing a well-rounded approach of treatment, prevention, and education, you will be empowering our patients to be rid of one more ache that plagues them.
Each medical brigade, with or without a dentist, will provide this station. Brigaders set up individual cleaning stations. It is imperative to provide this service as prophylaxis for the children, however, any/all adults can be treated, time permitting. This station is best after the doctor consultation station and before the pharmacy. People tend to leave after they have received their medications.
6. Charla & Community Health Worker Workshop
This is one of our newest and most exciting new stations. We realize that education is absolutely essential in order to truly change the healthcare of any community. To this end, we have begun to develop a number of talks on such things as basic hygiene, first aid, and nutrition. Volunteers will receive these packets prior to their brigade to review the material, and, especially those with more proficiency in Spanish, to prepare to present these to the community members on brigades. This station is best setup between the doctors and the pharmacy (as patients tend to leave after they receive their medications). The patients can be seated in front of the lecturer and their prescriptions can be filled while they listen to the presentation. We recommend that your group print out copies of the nutrition and home remedies handouts to pass out to to participants of the charla. Hygiene packs will also be passed out at this station (bags of soap, toothbrushes, floss, etc.)
7. Pharmacy
In this station, prescriptions are filled with either a doctor or pharmacist to approve the finished products and answer volunteers’ questions. Considered by some to be the most high-energy station, volunteers in pharmacy should be prepared for long, fast-paced days. It will behoove the pharmacy to consider how best to set up the pharmacy on the first day (e.g., vitamins and anti-parasite meds by the door since these will be most common), and continue this set-up each day to minimize the time spent searching for a correct medicine. Place all prescriptions for the same patient in one plastic bag. Keeping family’s patient sheets together is important, so they don’t wait on one person’s medicine for a long time. No Spanish is required for this station.
8. Additional Information
Runners
When the pharmacy runs out of a certain type of medicine, a few runners are designated to go update the doctors’ medicine inventory lists (which they use to prescribe). After the brigade, runners should ensure that all medicine inventory lists match (some will be in the pharmacy, others in the clinic). This way, doctors are not prescribing medicines that are no longer available. Runners also refresh supplies that will be needed in triage and the consultation room, such as gloves, hand sanitizer, etc.
Medical Brigades are also encouraged to equip their Runners with walkie-talkies; this facilitates communication between the pharmacy and the physicians, and significantly reduces the amount of time spent running back and forth to the consultation rooms.
Medicine Directions
Translators are responsible for giving patients their medicine and relaying its corresponding instructions. Spanish skills are crucial for conveying complex directions for certain medications. However, those with no Spanish speaking skills can also participate by learning the basic phrases (e.g., Take one vitamin a day = Tome una vitamina cada dia) for the most common, simple medications given.
Medicine Packing
When the volunteers arrive back at the accommodations, the remainder of the day is spent packing and organizing medicine and preparing for the next day’s charlas.
