Oman notes
So a few things.
The stores here are quite westernized--whereas I thought we had as many varieties of every kind of thing imaginable in the US, I have seen that they too have every type of everything here and more in some cases.
The facility with which the folks in the hospital switch between English, Arabic, Hindi, and other languages (less commonly) is incredible. Sometimes when tired, I will be listening to the team speaking in English and they will transition into Arabic...and a minute later I will realize I have no idea what anyone is saying, but then there's English again, and my ears trick me so well.
So there have been a few interesting things learned so far. There are social workers here in Oman, and their job is similar to what they do in the US but not exactly the same because of the wealth of the nation here and the types of social assistance that people need. Patients have DNRs and basically the same ways to make their end of life wishes clear as in the US. I have learned that they do not have hospice or nursing home care -- so you die at home or in the hospital. (Starting a hospice house in Oman with the collaboration of local resources and social workers seems like it would be a great US social work masters student project that could go a long way). I found that they do have an ethics committee, though I have not had the chance to talk to anyone about what their role is exactly. Kelsey reported that a Pakistani doctor she spoke with sits on the committee. He told her that in a case of refusal of treatment (even lifesaving treatment) for a child, the parent is the final say and the physicians are not legally (or ethically) empowered to intervene. I will confirm this information to find out whether it is in fact a cultural value or perhaps just a representation of a slow-to-change policy where law has lagged their values.
People have quite goo hygiene here. Their breath doesn't usually smell, nor do they, despite incredible heat and humidity (sometimes humidity at least--it seems to wax and wane). I really like the Omani style turbans--they tie them a particular way so that they sit quite gently and surprisingly on top of their heads, are quite flat and thin on top to prevent from being too warm, and stick out enough around the head to keep sun off of the face, ears, and neck. I certainly will get a few before I return home. The market in Muscat had some crazy gold and silver (the market itself was a giant, living Arabic market that is used by common people. I fear that in the future--the very near future, actually--that market may very well become more of a tourist attraction than anything else). The scent of frankincense floated everywhere, the halls girded by wooden pillars, a carved wooden roof, collages and mosaics and paintings and mosques. There were fabrics and trinkets and perfumes and shoes and any sort of goods you would ever want.
Oh, an interesting case that I wanted to write down. Yesterday we saw a patient on the hematology ward--he has sickle cell disease and was experiencing a pain crisis. The bandaging looked strange, it was very yellow. The physician told me that this is a local remedy where they use coriander mixed with salt and apply it as a heated paste to an area of swelling. The physician also commented to be careful not to tie it too tight. Also in the cordoned off area, another guy of similar age and appearance was sleeping--they has hair styled in a particular way and were wearing bright colors; they also had matching white watches. They were likely teenagers, and I wondered about their sexuality. Today I learned that it was actually because of how tight this patient tied the bandage that he experienced the pain crisis to begin with, so the sickle crisis was self-inflicted. Further, the doctor reported that there were 'social problems', and that the boy wanted to be in the hospital because it was the only place where he could 'stay with his friend'. There was more to this conversation, but it was rife with implications that the two were together against the will of their disapproving families and that because of the free healthcare in Oman the boy was not beholden to his parents for health insurance or really anything that would stop him from having an extended hospital stay with the sickle pain crisis. I will be curious to know how this resolves. The medical team appears not to care much about the fact that the two are together, but is concerned that the patient will end up putting himself at risk for more sickling/pain episodes.
The stores here are quite westernized--whereas I thought we had as many varieties of every kind of thing imaginable in the US, I have seen that they too have every type of everything here and more in some cases.
The facility with which the folks in the hospital switch between English, Arabic, Hindi, and other languages (less commonly) is incredible. Sometimes when tired, I will be listening to the team speaking in English and they will transition into Arabic...and a minute later I will realize I have no idea what anyone is saying, but then there's English again, and my ears trick me so well.
So there have been a few interesting things learned so far. There are social workers here in Oman, and their job is similar to what they do in the US but not exactly the same because of the wealth of the nation here and the types of social assistance that people need. Patients have DNRs and basically the same ways to make their end of life wishes clear as in the US. I have learned that they do not have hospice or nursing home care -- so you die at home or in the hospital. (Starting a hospice house in Oman with the collaboration of local resources and social workers seems like it would be a great US social work masters student project that could go a long way). I found that they do have an ethics committee, though I have not had the chance to talk to anyone about what their role is exactly. Kelsey reported that a Pakistani doctor she spoke with sits on the committee. He told her that in a case of refusal of treatment (even lifesaving treatment) for a child, the parent is the final say and the physicians are not legally (or ethically) empowered to intervene. I will confirm this information to find out whether it is in fact a cultural value or perhaps just a representation of a slow-to-change policy where law has lagged their values.
People have quite goo hygiene here. Their breath doesn't usually smell, nor do they, despite incredible heat and humidity (sometimes humidity at least--it seems to wax and wane). I really like the Omani style turbans--they tie them a particular way so that they sit quite gently and surprisingly on top of their heads, are quite flat and thin on top to prevent from being too warm, and stick out enough around the head to keep sun off of the face, ears, and neck. I certainly will get a few before I return home. The market in Muscat had some crazy gold and silver (the market itself was a giant, living Arabic market that is used by common people. I fear that in the future--the very near future, actually--that market may very well become more of a tourist attraction than anything else). The scent of frankincense floated everywhere, the halls girded by wooden pillars, a carved wooden roof, collages and mosaics and paintings and mosques. There were fabrics and trinkets and perfumes and shoes and any sort of goods you would ever want.
Oh, an interesting case that I wanted to write down. Yesterday we saw a patient on the hematology ward--he has sickle cell disease and was experiencing a pain crisis. The bandaging looked strange, it was very yellow. The physician told me that this is a local remedy where they use coriander mixed with salt and apply it as a heated paste to an area of swelling. The physician also commented to be careful not to tie it too tight. Also in the cordoned off area, another guy of similar age and appearance was sleeping--they has hair styled in a particular way and were wearing bright colors; they also had matching white watches. They were likely teenagers, and I wondered about their sexuality. Today I learned that it was actually because of how tight this patient tied the bandage that he experienced the pain crisis to begin with, so the sickle crisis was self-inflicted. Further, the doctor reported that there were 'social problems', and that the boy wanted to be in the hospital because it was the only place where he could 'stay with his friend'. There was more to this conversation, but it was rife with implications that the two were together against the will of their disapproving families and that because of the free healthcare in Oman the boy was not beholden to his parents for health insurance or really anything that would stop him from having an extended hospital stay with the sickle pain crisis. I will be curious to know how this resolves. The medical team appears not to care much about the fact that the two are together, but is concerned that the patient will end up putting himself at risk for more sickling/pain episodes.