Katarzyna Jachimowska, DO: Lehigh Valley Health Network, Family Medicine PGY3

Honduras: October 2024

 My second trip to Honduras exceeded my expectations. It was an enriching educational experience both from a medical and leadership standpoint. As I continue to progress in developing as a clinician, I can gain more from these trips. I can better apply my knowledge and allow for more questions to arise. For example, this year we started using the PHQ-9 questionnaire to screen patients for depression. This is a commonly used screening tool in the United States. However, as I was asking the designated questions, I noticed that certain questions were not applicable to the population we were serving and at times, not appropriate. Some of these questions inquired whether the individual had difficulty concentrating on reading or was eating too much or too little. I came to my attention that some patients cannot read and perhaps if they could, they did not have corrective lenses. Additionally, food is a valuable resource and many of the residents of Guachi have food insecurity. I was able to come back home and discuss this finding with colleagues, and uncovered a more universal depression screening questionnaire that is more appropriate and better reflects the global population. Just this one observation made me think of how different the patient populations are in the United States and the underserved parts of the world, and how we need to adjust our approach to patients. In this specific case, anybody can suffer from depression and anxiety but would benefit from different screenings as it may present in different ways.

 I was also given the honor of being the clinical lead and overseeing the daily flow of the clinic ensuring it is running smoothly. I was able to practice essential leadership skills such as communication, delegation, problem solving, adaptability, and active feedback. It was wonderful working as a cohesive team with several moving parts to accomplish a common goal, patient care. I look forward in pursing global health in my professional career and hope to come back to Honduras in the future.