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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Medical Missions Allow Rheumatologists to Volunteer Around the World

Linda Childers  |  Issue: January 2018  |  

In addition to diagnosing their condition and offering them steroid injections and anti-inflammatories, Dr. Mallay and her colleagues worked to educate patients on how to lift correctly and not exacerbate disease activity. They also gave out information on stretching exercises that could improve stiffness and range of motion.

“People would bring us food to show their gratitude and walk for miles to come to the mission clinics,” Dr. Mallay says. “Practicing medicine on a mission makes you more empathetic and very appreciative of everything we have in the United States.”

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Each medical mission is unique, Dr. Mallay says. She’s treated children suffering from malnutrition and adults with undiagnosed diseases such as Parkinson’s, and worked to provide vaccinations to children and prenatal care to expectant mothers.

Dr. Mallay says the medical missions she’s embarked on have all partnered with local health professionals in developing countries to stress continuity of care.

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“I think the most successful medical missions are those that are sustainable and continue to provide patient care long after the mission has ended and the medical volunteers have returned home,” she says. “Treating chronic conditions requires continuity of care, so it’s important for medical missions to partner with health professionals based in the [mission’s] country.”

Linda Childers is a health writer located in the San Francisco Bay area.

Finding Your Medical Mission

Dr. Albert says some of the best places to locate high-quality, affordable medical missions are through local universities or big nonprofit organizations. Doctors with a religious affiliation can typically locate medical trips through their church.

He says rheumatologists should consider the following questions before embarking on a medical mission:

What Kind of Care Will You Provide?

Rather than looking at medical missions that offer only a brief point of contact for patients, seek out missions that offer continuity of care and work to empower and educate patients, Dr. Mallay recommends. “Look for organizations that coordinate with local service agencies to best serve the medical needs of people in remote and very poor urban and rural areas,” she says.

What Types of Conditions Will You Primarily Treat?

If you want to work strictly on rheumatology cases, consider medical missions that specifically provide this care. For example, La-Merced.org (la-merced.org) focuses on medical missions to Nicaragua, and at the Roberto Clemente Clinic, its teams treat arthritic shoulders and knees with steroid injections and educate patients on how to better manage their arthritis.

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