In the hallways of the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group, doctors, nurses and technicians can be seen walking in and out of rooms as they work together to provide the best treatment for their patients at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, May 22, 2017.
There are many moving parts when it comes to the treatment of a patient. Every patient that arrives at the 379th EMDG hospital has their unique reason for being there. The first stop in receiving treatment starts with the primary care clinic.
“When I check people in, I obtain [their] medical history, any medication he or she is on, and if they have any known allergies,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Tayler Tessitore, emergency medical technician with the 379th EMDG. “Sometimes, I will check [the patients] eyes, ears, and throat and may listen to lung sounds. Then, my whole report is given to the doctor.”
After the doctor reads the report they may request furthering testing to be done. The medical staff members are equipped to conduct blood work, order an x-ray or a CT scan to aid with their diagnosis. Prescribed medications, if applicable, can be prescribed as a course of treatment, as well as physical therapy.
Each morning, members of the public health staff review the previous day’s records and group the information together to identify any trends. Likewise, if doctors start to see trends in illnesses of the base populace, public health is also notified.
“Whenever we start to see a spike in illnesses we up our attempts to educate,” said Senior Airman Stacey Booker, public health technician with the 379th EMDG. “We get the word out via commanders, first sergeants, health fairs and mobile health fairs. So far we've reached more than 440 personnel by these means [health fairs and mobile health fairs].”
The medical hospital also helps individuals with dental and eye care. While these are not full-service clinics, they can take care for a toothache or provide a new eye prescription for the patients.