Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-9-2017
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this project was to gather epidemiological data on common diseases and medications dispensed during medical mission teams to Cambodia to shape the mobile medical clinic formulary.
Methods: Data for patients seen during week-long, mobile, medical clinics was collected in Cambodia during Septembers 2012 to 2014. Patient’s gender, age, weight, blood pressure, glucose, pertinent laboratory values, diagnoses, and medications dispensed were collected. Blood pressure and glucose were measured in patients 18 years and above. Data collected onto paper intake forms were transferred onto spreadsheets without patient identifying information and analyzed for aggregate means, common diseases, and most dispensed medications. This project received institutional review board approval.
Results: A total of 1,015 patients were seen over three years. Women made up 61.4% and the mean age was 41.8 years. The most common diagnosis was gastrointestinal disorders (22.9%), which included gastroesophageal reflux disease and intestinal parasites. Next, 20.1% of patients had hypertension (BP>140/90), 18.0% had presbyopia, 15.4% had back and joint pain, followed by 8.8% with headache, including migraines. Approximately 8.4% of patients had hyperglycemia (RPG >140 mg/dl). Top five medications dispensed were acetaminophen, omeprazole, multivitamin, ibuprofen and metformin. For hypertension, amlodipine and lisinopril were dispensed.
Conclusion: Cambodia lacks systematic public health collection of epidemiological data for prevalence of diseases. Hence, investigators collected and analyzed information from week-long mobile medical clinics over three years. Proton-pump inhibitors and H. pylori lab tests are recommended for gastrointestinal disorders. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are recommended for pain. Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers are recommended over diuretics since patients are already dehydrated. Metformin is recommended for diabetes. Vitamins and supplements are recommended for malnourished patients. Hemoglobin machine and urine test strips are suggested. This information should help future teams decide what medications and laboratory tests are most beneficial on medical teams in Cambodia.
Recommended Citation
Jun JK, Koo JS, Kang AY, et al. Utilizing three years of epidemiological data from medical missions in Cambodia to shape the mobile medical clinic formulary. ,Christian Journal for Global Health. 2017;4(1):13-23. doi: 10.15566/cjgh.v4i1.156
Copyright
The authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
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Clinical Epidemiology Commons, Community Health Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Diseases Commons, Epidemiology Commons, Health Information Technology Commons, Health Services Research Commons, International Public Health Commons, Other Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Commons, Other Public Health Commons, Pharmacy Administration, Policy and Regulation Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons
Comments
This article was originally published in Christian Journal for Global Health, volume 4, issue 1, in 2017. DOI: 10.15566/cjgh.v4i1.156