This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Chickering, W. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Chickering, W. H. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

A Guide for Visiting Clinicians to Guatemala: Common Presenting Symptoms and Treatment

McGuire VA Hospital, Richmond, VA

For volunteer clinicians from North America and Europe, treating patients for the first time in remote areas of Guatemala can be a challenge. Radiology and laboratory facilities are usually lacking, and the cultural and linguistic barriers are huge. This article provides clinicians working in Guatemala with a description and ranking of the most common presenting complaints, as determined from a chart review of 1,500 patients. Unfamiliar diagnoses, empiric treatment, and pertinent cultural factors, including the fading but still-present hot-cold paradigm, are also included.

Key Words: Guatemala • manual or guide • symptoms • diagnosis • treatment • developing countries • culture • hot-cold paradigm

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?