This summer I spent 10 weeks in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala interviewing patients who have been diagnosed with type II diabetes about their experience with access to diagnosis and treatment. My goal was to learn more about the public health policy in Guatemala and to collect patient narratives in order to analyze their experience transitioning into a diabetic in hopes of helping the Hospitalito find ways to improve the clubs. With help from the Hospitalito, I was able to record and transcribe a total of 41 interviews from the diabetes clubs. As I traveled around the lake region collecting narratives, I noticed that each place has a different environment, different people, and a different culture. I learned that some patients find strength and hope from the medicine, whereas others fear the pills and feel more comfortable with natural medicine. Finding a way to normalize the pill without pushing away people’s faith in natural medicine would be helpful in improving adherence. The Ministry of Public Health is pushing for self-care, which involves patients taking their medicine and representing an active biological citizenship, but there has be a way to facilitate this transfer of responsibility of care from doctor to patient. I spent this summer listening to narratives and looking for possible solutions.
In addition, I was volunteering at the local hospital, Hospitalito Atitlán, as a part of the Guatemala Health Initiative program. I participated in a diabetes education program which covers several towns around the lake region. The program includes charlas, which were 20 minute talks on type II diabetes that were given at schools; diabetes clubs, which were screening groups that meet once a month in order to distribute free medication; and jornadas, which were free random screenings for anyone who wanted to get their glucose and blood pressure checked. Throughout the summer, I had the chance to assist at a variety of the three.
This experience taught me not just to see but to observe. There were little details around me that supported the narratives I was listening to, which help me understand how their experience related to where they lived. Analyzing in a Mayan culture, I learned about different belief systems and different perspectives on chronic illnesses, which encouraged me to find ways to integrate that system with the medicine they were receiving at the clubs.
I never expected to find myself in another part of the world conducting research, but thanks to the Hassenfeld Foundation I was given the opportunity to do so, and I am glad I took the chance. Learning about Tzutujil, Quiche, and Kaqchikel cultures has been fascinating, and it is something that will remain a part of me. Coming here, I realized it was not just about the investigation but about the people you meet, the people you build relationships with, and the realization that you are there to give back to a community that has helped you see new things.
This summer I spent 10 weeks in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala interviewing patients who have been diagnosed with type II diabetes about their experience with access to diagnosis and treatment. My goal was to learn more about the public health policy in Guatemala and to collect patient narratives in order to analyze their experience transitioning into a diabetic in hopes of helping the Hospitalito find ways to improve the clubs. With help from the Hospitalito, I was able to record and transcribe a total of 41 interviews from the diabetes clubs. As I traveled around the lake region collecting narratives, I noticed that each place has a different environment, different people, and a different culture. I learned that some patients find strength and hope from the medicine, whereas others fear the pills and feel more comfortable with natural medicine. Finding a way to normalize the pill without pushing away people’s faith in natural medicine would be helpful in improving adherence. The Ministry of Public Health is pushing for self-care, which involves patients taking their medicine and representing an active biological citizenship, but there has be a way to facilitate this transfer of responsibility of care from doctor to patient. I spent this summer listening to narratives and looking for possible solutions.
In addition, I was volunteering at the local hospital, Hospitalito Atitlán, as a part of the Guatemala Health Initiative program. I participated in a diabetes education program which covers several towns around the lake region. The program includes charlas, which were 20 minute talks on type II diabetes that were given at schools; diabetes clubs, which were screening groups that meet once a month in order to distribute free medication; and jornadas, which were free random screenings for anyone who wanted to get their glucose and blood pressure checked. Throughout the summer, I had the chance to assist at a variety of the three.
This experience taught me not just to see but to observe. There were little details around me that supported the narratives I was listening to, which help me understand how their experience related to where they lived. Analyzing in a Mayan culture, I learned about different belief systems and different perspectives on chronic illnesses, which encouraged me to find ways to integrate that system with the medicine they were receiving at the clubs.
I never expected to find myself in another part of the world conducting research, but thanks to the Hassenfeld Foundation I was given the opportunity to do so, and I am glad I took the chance. Learning about Tzutujil, Quiche, and Kaqchikel cultures has been fascinating, and it is something that will remain a part of me. Coming here, I realized it was not just about the investigation but about the people you meet, the people you build relationships with, and the realization that you are there to give back to a community that has helped you see new things.