Safety and Cultural Sensitivity When Working Abroad - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 9
About This Presentation
Title:

Safety and Cultural Sensitivity When Working Abroad

Description:

Average Risk (percutaneous exposure) Post Exposure Prophylaxis ... Definite exposure -blood or defined body fluid -percutaneous/mucous membrane/ non intact skin ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:123
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 10
Provided by: ihUal
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Safety and Cultural Sensitivity When Working Abroad


1
Safety and Cultural Sensitivity When Working
Abroad
  • Geoff Taylor
  • Division of Infectious Diseases
  • Acting Director Global Health
  • University of Alberta

2
Safety in Clinical Settings
  • Inpatient and outpatient units are typically very
    crowded
  • Many patients will have Tb communicable GI
    pathogens or HIV
  • Traditional hand washing facilities may be absent
  • Hand hygiene may not be the cultural norm
  • Strongly consider taking a supply of alcohol hand
    rub

3
Safety in Clinical Settings
  • In Africa, 50-70 of inpatient medical unit
    patients may be HIV ()
  • HBV, HCV are also common
  • Do not do your first invasive procedures in these
    settings
  • Wear gloves during procedures even if it is not
    the cultural norm
  • Care with disposal of sharps
  • In the event of exposure , you should strongly
    consider ARVs

4
Risk and Prevention of Blood Borne Pathogens in
Occupational Settings
5
Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) following HIV
exposure
  • May reduce relative risk of HIV transmission by
    up to 80 ( ie average needlestick risk from 0.3
    to lt0.1, absolute risk reduction 0.2)
  • Defined exposure
  • Probable HIV() source patient
  • Definite exposure -blood or defined body
    fluid -percutaneous/mucous membrane/ non
    intact skin
  • Immediate (the sooner the better, but up to 3
    days) initiation of combination antiretroviral
    therapy(2 or 3 drugs)
  • Available in most urban settings. In remote
    settings availability less certain consider
    taking a starting supply.
  • Combivir ( AZT lamivudine) bid X 4 wks
  • Third drug protease inhibitor for very serious
    exposures
  • DO NOT take nevirapine ( Viracept ) or
    nevirapine containing compounds ( eg Triommune)
    for PEP fatal hepatitis has occured

6
General Safety
  • Traffic accidents are the most likely cause of
    serious injury or disability.
  • Consider avoiding highway travel at night.
  • Evaluate the safety of any form of conveyance
  • Evacuation insurance is a good buy

7
Food and water safety
  • Its not fun having a GI illness in a hot climate
    with poor health infrastructure and sketchy
    toilets
  • Heated or peeled food only
  • Bottled ( sealed ) or boiled liquids. No ice
    cubes.
  • Hand hygiene

8
Vaccines and drugs
  • Expert advice ! rather than casual opinions of
    friends/relatives or clinical mentors
  • Antimalarials
  • mefloquine
  • Malarone
  • doxycycline
  • Mosquito netting (impregnated)
  • Antimotility/antinausea drugs
  • HAV
  • Yellow fever
  • Typhoid
  • Consider rabies depending on location and duration

9
Medical and non-Medical Cultural Sensitivity
  • Medical
  • Remember, youre there to learn and you are an
    ambassador of yourself, your family , U of A and
    Canada (no pressure!)
  • Never use the phrase Back home, we would
  • As in back home we would do an MRI.
  • Non-Medical
  • Non-Western countries are usually more culturally
    conservative. When in Rome
  • The status of women may be different (though
    medically , women often occupy senior positions).
    Western women may be the target of unwanted
    attention.
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com