Why hello there, friends!

I can’t even describe how fast the last two weeks have gone. I’m actually now safely back in the States, but I definitely need to catch you guys up with my final weeks in Lesotho.

Breath Alert Developments
Breath Alert stuff went pretty well! After explaining the device to a whole new batch of nursing students, I was able to do some very basic trial runs with a few patients. Although it’s not working perfectly, the trials have really given me some new ideas about how to test future design iterations.

This whole internship has been a great opportunity to see so many doctors and nurses excited about Breath Alert. They pretty much universally agree that the device is meeting a HUGE need in their obstetrics ward to detect apnea, so that’s really rewarding to see how excited they are. I’ve also collected some key pieces of feedback. For example, many nurses requested some sort of remote emergency feedback. Right now, an emergency light flashes if the child fails to breathe after 20 seconds, but many nurses complained that they often leave the room to go to the labor ward next door, and might not notice a flashing light. For this reason, I’m thinking that a remote audible alarm might be a good addition.

Do the Safety Dance
Melissa and I are finishing up a major safety assessment of the hospital. The answers are confidential, but what we can tell you is that the hospital and its outreach clinics are doing reasonably well following the safety practices of needle usage recommended by the World Health Organization. By following those guidelines, the hospital staff is essentially ensuring no transmission of HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis B and C between patients.

Good job, team!

Happy Birthday, King Letsie III
July 17 marked a national holiday in Lesotho, as it marked the birthday of the Lesotho king, King Letsie III. Although we heard that other people in the country celebrated by huge parades, dancing, and eating, Melissa and I celebrated in our own way by teaching our final caregiving class.

With our friend Asha’s help, we discussed palliative care – most notably, how to care for family members dying with HIV/AIDS. I learned a lot when preparing for the class about how to cook and prepare food for sick family members to help them absorb as many nutrients as possible. I also learned how important it is to encourage family and friends to visit the patients – not only to help comfort the dying, but also to help remove the stigma associated with the illness.

For the second part of the class, we finished up our microenterprise unit that we had started earlier by teaching them how to make handwoven bracelets. We made that section of the class into a workshop so that each woman could practice making her own. They did an excellent job! Towards the end of the class, we handed out Coca-Cola and popcorn. It was a pretty wild party, by all accounts.

Typing Up Loose Ends
As we completed our last week at the hospital, Melissa and I spent a lot of time tying up loose ends. We were able to install a second wall hook in the other nursery room of the Pediatrics ward. Now, it’ll be even easier for the nurses to use phototherapy lights on a patient!

We also were able to help out a little bit more with older equipment. For example, years ago an engineer at the hospital made a very simple incubator that resembles Rice’s first version of the Hot Cot. It still works, though it definitely requires proper knowledge of how to operate the device. Melissa and I were able to educate several of the nurses about the proper procedure for using the Hot Cot, and installed a very clear set of directions for any time a future nurse wanted to operate the incubator.

We also heard from nurses that it was very time-consuming to calculate the precise IV drip rate in drops per minute when the doctor would give orders to nurses in volume per several hours. Melissa and I made easy-to-read charts for the nurses in each of the wards, so now it’s really simple for them to look up in the table to find the precise rate for IV flow! It’s great.

All in all, things are coming together.

I’ll have one more reflection post, and then that’ll be it on my end!