We Have Liftoff!

  Good News, we've got a stable system and we're finalizing documentation and process! Today went off almost totally without our intervention.

  The database has undergone some revamping and now looks like this:

Amazing, huh?

Back at the Clinic

  Well, our trip to Kampala was a success. We picked up some electronics we needed and hiked around the city.

  We made it back to the clinic early this afternoon and got back to work on the infrastructure and software. Tomorrow we open for business again and see more patients.

Break Time

  Well, after over a week of late nights and early mornings, the system is up and jogging at a fare pace. The staff here saw 70 patients yesterday with no major problems. In fact, We've got 3 full days of data.















  This weekend we're gonna take an overnight back in Kampala to rest our brains, see some sights and unwind.















See you soon!

QWERTY

Today was a very long day. We've spent the last week slowly introducing the system to the staff. There are so many patients everyday, incorporating a new system on top of the already twelve hour day is quite a challenge. Treatment is slow with only three nurses treating 50-70 patients a day, so you can imagine how integrating this system would slow things down even more. Nonetheless, the staff is incredible. Everyone seems really enthusiastic about using the system.

The two most exciting aspects of the system (it's all exciting) but most noticeable to me today is how the system eliminates the redundant and time consuming task of entering all the patient information into a spreadsheet. Phil created an automatic tally system for all daily and monthly reports so now all John has to do is click print!


The system also allows Resty, the pharmacist on staff, to start filling a patient's prescription before the patient is out of the exam room. All she has to do is look up the med queue, and by the time the patient comes to her she is just about finished dispensing the medication. I can't stress enough how these details effect the overall efficiency of the clinic. Many patients wait all day. It's not your typical 20 minute wait.

The staff is extremely dedicated to the patients. Rosie and Tushabi have been working hard and are eager to start using the system. Rosie was thrilled that she will now be able to look up a patient's history. I was working in parallel with Rosie yesterday (typing the info she was writing in the notebook) but Rosie wanted to jump right in and start using the system. Rita, another clinician at Engeye is very good at navigating the system.

I think the biggest challenge in switching to a computerized system is the typing aspect of the program. Otherwise, Philip has created a straight forward system and the staff seems to be able to navigate it very well. As for the typing, practice makes perfect.

This morning before the clinic opened, John Kalule, the co-founder who manages the clinic went around entering all of the patient's into the database. So, by the time the clinicians started the visit the system displayed the patients' charts. This allowed the clinicians to start the exam right away without having to write down the patient name, age, or village. The clinician could also check the reason for the visit before the patient entered the room.

A bit of a side note: John is an all out wonderful man. Since working with him it is obvious that he cares deeply about all the patients. He makes all the patients laugh and, of course, the staff.

As for the four of us, we are all doing well. We are tired as is the entire staff but we are all making a lot of progress. I am proud to be a part of this effort.
Oh yes, one last side note: our friend Dora likes using my camera phone to take pictures and she seems to have some natural talent! Pictures to follow!

We love you all

Pray if you pray

Wish if you wish

or eat pasta for us

either way

love, us

Did someone say chocolate?

O-liotia (Hello, how are you?)

Staging Network

Phil has been hard at work trying to get a speedy and reliable internet connection which isn't all that easy considering we are in rural Africa. Less than an hour ago, he seems to have figured it out. He's a genius! It's quite impressive to see someone so focused for hours and hours at a time. I have been right next to him continuing to work on the reference manual. The more he develops, the more I document.

We have three hearty meals a day here. A hired cook prepares meals for us everyday. The African sun is quite powerful and anyone who knows me knows my skin just loves that... I've never craved chocolate so much in my life. Thank God for Joe. He had chocolate!

Walking through local farms

Joe has been going to town everyday on the motorcycle. A good forty miles on a small dirt bike to ensure the clinic has enough medication in stock and Phil has the right adaptors/voltage regulators and whatever else he may need to get the system up and running. He and Kathy are donating a lot of their resources and love to this clinic. I've never seen Joe so happy! He took us for a walk around the village today and every child we saw (no joke) kept yelling Joe! Joe! They all seem to know him.

There were two little girls hanging out in the kitchen area all day today (the cook's nieces) Maxi, one of the girls does not stop smiling and staring. Just wanted to pick her up and snuggle her. The other little girl (don't know name) is afraid of white people (Mazoongu). If we try to look at her she starts crying. Kathy thinks it's hilarious! It is.

Clinic sign at main road

Dr. Kathy has been treating patients in the clinic for two long days. She is learning from the staff how everything runs. This is useful information for Phil while he is developing the system. She has recently diagnosed a pregnant woman with Malaria and a patient with Typhoid Fever which is something a practicing doctor in the U.S. would probably never diagnose.

Tonight is New Year's eve and we plan to celebrate! Happy New Year indeed! Love you all (sorry for any errors, grammar, etc hehehehe) PCJK

Uganda's Great Crested Crane

We are safe in Ddegeye!

We arrived in Ddegeye yesterday evening after a very long flight and a six hour bus ride from Kampala. We are safe and healthy and were greeted with lots of hugs. Africa is absolutely beautiful and all the children run up to us smiling and waving. This is our first full day at the clinic and we are working on getting all of the computers hooked up. The clinic is very busy and sees more than sixty patients a day. The clinic opens at eight in the morning but most of the patients have been waiting since six a.m. We hope to make a difference and will continue to do our best. Mucho Love from all of us to all of you, PCJK

Packing

We're off.