Rounding at Kiruddu

By Sara Brown

This past week Dr. Nicol and I have been rounding on the meningitis wards at Kiruddu hospital. This is what that looks like: we meet at the Infectious Disease Institute (IDI) and hop in a van with other doctors, nurses and lab technicians. Thirty minutes later we arrive at Kiruddu and get to work. Dr. Nicol and I walk with the doctors when they are examining the patient and the paper chart at the bedside. We answer any drug-related questions, sometimes with the assistance of medication resource apps on our phones, like Micromedex or UpToDate. The most common questions are about maximum doses or drug-drug interactions. A few hours later, we get back into the van and travel back to IDI. Traffic has been worse on the way home, so it takes over an hour to get back. We’ve had about 5-6 meningitis patients each day— “a slow week.”

Before going home today, we stopped at a roadside stand and got a rolex. It’s a chapati (greasy, thin flatbread) rolled up with a thin omelet. Delicious!

I am enjoying being part of an interprofessional team. I feel valued and useful, even though I am still a student. I have learned so much this past week about tuberculosis, Cryptococcal meningitis and HIV. It’s incredible how much you can learn by observing and asking questions. I even got to see a lumbar puncture! Rounding on the meningitis wards is such a unique experience and I am blessed to be a part of it. I cannot wait to see and learn more!