|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||
|
||||
|
||||
Donating medical/nursing texts/journals/equipment to medical groups in IraqFrom: GIN11153@aol.comThu Sep 13 00:31:44 2007
Here is the information I got back tonight from the article's writer: This response is good through September 20th, which will be that last reliable ship date so that CPT Martinez will be able to receive and distribute. She assures me that she has a successor and they are jointly working to ensure that the program will continue. The Medscape article _http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/557426_ (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/557426) Donations of Medical and Nursing Books and Journals Arrive in Iraq has provoked a heretofore unprecedented response from nursing professionals. A deluge of inquiries have come to me since publication of the article to inquire how to help. The great majority address nursing publications. I have used a different prepared response to potential donors of medical or dental texts, although the Army nurse cited below can direct medical texts to Iraqi medical personnel through her Brigade medical officer, MAJ Christian Meko. It is important to understand that there has been virtually no profession of nursing in Iraq as it is known in western nations. Strict religious beliefs prohibit contact between persons of the opposite sex who are not either married or closely related. Most in-hospital patient care is the responsibility of family members. Nevertheless, the Iraqi medical profession has recognized the immense value of establishing a nursing profession and a very limited number of training programs exist. Others are desired and military Nurse Corps officers are assisting in establishing training programs. Many Army, Air Force and Navy nurses have served selflessly in Iraq and Afghanistan. The great majority have served in direct patent care roles in deployed military hospitals, which has limited the opportunity to interact with local healthcare. More recently the role of nurse corps officers has expanded and Army Captain Saundra Martinez has worked with the Iraqi medical establishment in the Tikrit region of northern Iraq to establish training programs. She will remain there through October. It is not yet certain that another nurse will be assigned to carry on her programs, so delay in mailing is discouraged. Because of the infancy of the training programs it is incumbent upon donors to select texts and journals that address nursing concepts and procedures. Although the Iraqi Ministry of Health has explicitly asked that medical texts be no older than one edition out of date or published since 2000, the donor is best qualified to determine the value of what they may offer. Many journals address issues of societal importance in western medicine, but which have little relevance in Iraq. Please consider this when selecting journals to donate. Basic examination equipment such as stethoscopes and BP cuffs are greatly valued. This fact has been repeatedly restated due to scarcity of such items. Mail such items separately from texts and journals so that the heavier text items will be eligible for book/media postal rate. Advanced practice nursing is unknown in Iraq, but the principles of primary care are universal, whether pediatrics, womens’ health or general medicine. Similarly materials relating to specific specialty areas such as diabetic care, oncology nursing and surgical nursing ought to be valuable. The best way to ship is by the US Postal Service. The military addresses/APO (Army Post Office) are rated as domestic mail. The military assumes costs for overseas movement. By specifying book/media rate the lowest postal rate applies. The USPS has free 8½ X 11 X 8½ boxes that are sent for a flat rate of $8.00 and are excellent for journals and books. Larger donations are better sent in 1.5 cubic foot boxes available from shipping companies. The following mailing address will remain current through mid-September mailing dates. Captain Saundra Martinez C Company/82nd BSB COB Speicher, Iraq APO AE 09393 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- =20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------David B. Gifford, MD, FACP Colonel-Retired, US Army dgifford@hot.rr.com
|
|
Return to
|
Mail a New Message to the Forum: ob-gyn-l@obgyn.net Forum Administrator: geffrey.klein@obgyn.net Report Technical Problems: webmaster@obgyn.net Last Updated: Wed Jul 2 04:47:35 2008 |
The American Medical Association is no longer designating CME hours for AMA Category II CME credit. However, physicians themselves may self designate learning activities as Category II CME credit hours if they feel it is of sufficient educational merit and meets the formal definitions of continuing medical education. OBGYN.net believes these interaction in this forum meets these criteria. For further information see the AMA web site.