Reflexiones y sentimientos desde un equipo de voluntarios del Ministerio de Salud y el Colegio Médico de Chile, después del terremoto reciente / Reflections and feelings from a team of volunteers from the Ministry of Health and the Chilean Medical Association, after the recent earthquake

The experience of a group of 9 doctors and 6 nurses, most of them younger than 30years of age, whom were part of the several volunteer groups directed towards the most damaged earthquake regions, is described. The team had to overcome a number of intense personal emotions related with the magnitude of the destruction, especially in the "adobe"-constructed houses and villages, in order to provide useful medical support. Moving out of the hospital setting, reaching out to the community in schools and emergency posts proved to be important in rural communities. An appropriate coordination of the volunteer groups, with the simultaneous action of municipal and state health authorities, together with well-guided leadership, was critical for an effective response in the larger city of Talcahuano /Hualpén. Within the second week of the aftermath, acute respiratory and intestinal infections were the most common medical complaints together with intense -in many cases severe- emotional distress associated mostly with fear to after shakes ("replicas"), tsunami, and social unrest. The severe earthquake that struck Chile has left many lessons for the future that will need to be analyzed seriously and with the conviction that effective and timely prevention of catastrophic aftermath consequences, although costly, must be a key element of the country's development plan. More importantly, the hundreds if not thousands of volunteers from a variety of health related professions that were moved by the scenes of suffering, and whom responded to individual or group initiatives, allow to foresee that the nation has the moral stamina required to overcome the tragedy and become a better society.

Voluntariado na Odontologia no Brasil

Solidariedade e cidadania fundem-se para o enfrentamento dos desafios da sociedade ditando o surgimento de um terceiro setor. A atividade voluntária organizada surgiu na Europa quando a urbanização e o êxodo rural associado à industrialização...

Operação sorriso: participação e influência no tratamento de fissurados no Brasil / Operation smile: participation and influence on cleft lip and palate treatment in Brazil

Apresenta a Operação Sorriso do Brasil, discutindo aspectos relacionados à introdução desse programa no país e o passo-a-passo da estrutura da missão, incluindo triagem dos pacientes, acompanhamento pré e pós-operatórios.

Impact of community participation on treatment outcomes and compliance of DOTS patients in Iraq

We assessed the effect of community participation on treatment outcomes for tuberculosis patients undergoing directly-observed therapy, short course [DOTS]. From February to December 2001 172 newly diagnosed patients in Baghdad were allocated into 2 treatment groups. The intervention group were visited daily at home for the 2-month initial phase by trained members of the Iraqi Women's Federation while the control group attended the local health centre for treatment. Cure rates for patients treated at home were significantly better than controls [83.7% versus 68.6%], so too was compliance [100.0% versus 14.0%]. Smear conversion rates were significantly better in intervention cases compared with controls at all stages. Default rates were similar in both groups [11.6% versus 10.5%], as was mortality [1 patient each]