Expedition medicine: A southern African perspective
When she qualifies, Jo is considering a career in acute medicine with
expedition medicine.
Okay, this patient wanted to show off his
expedition medicine skills.
CARDIFF University's Wilderness and
Expedition Medicine Society (WEMS) will be scaling the Three Peaks Challenge in just 24 hours to raise money for Wales Air Ambulance.
As described on the WMS Web site (www.wms.org), completion of the 100-hour program offers a way to "identify those who have achieved a demanding set of requirements validating their training in wilderness medicine for the assurances of patients, clients, and the public at large." Applicants have 5 years to complete course work that includes core curricula in diverse wilderness medicine topics; diving and hyperbaric medicine;
expedition medicine; and wilderness emergencies and trauma management.
The 12 students had a practical session on resuscitation with medical emergencies' doctor Les Milne, a tour of Welshpool Community Hospital with Dr Michael Lewis, a discussion on medical ethics with Dr Tony Evans, plus a presentation on
expedition medicine by Dr Simon Currin, a Montgomery GP.
[2,20-22] In this edition of SAMJ, we address the fundamental concepts of
expedition medicine, from participant screening and selection of suitable medical supplies to the epidemiology, roles and psychological aspects encountered on expeditions.
The field of travel medicine is ever-expanding with claim-staking names such as
expedition medicine, geographic medicine, tropical medicine, international health, polar medicine, international telemedicine, field medicine, and military medicine.
Wilderness and
expedition medicine, therefore, is as purposeful as the expedition itself: predicted, planned, and pragmatically performed.