Close to 1,500 miles away, Guatemalan physicians learn about anything from concussions to a Jones fracture through a little webcam on top of their computer.
The videoconferences are an initiative of several local educators and doctors working with Athletes in Action, a faith-based sports ministry based in Ohio, used to exchange information related to soccer injuries.
“We found through visits (to Guatemala) that most of the medical care provided to the general population there is good, but there is a substantial lack of knowledge pertaining to sports medicine expertise,” said Gary Wilkerson, research coordinator for the Athletic Training Education program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
VIDEOCONFERENCES* Several local doctors offer one-hour monthly conferences to physicians in Guatemala related to sports injuries.* The presentation usually involves the initial evaluation of a patient, decisions on how to manage it and specific techniques that were used to treat the patient.* The project is part of Athletes in Action, a faith-based sports ministry based in Ohio.
“In the United States we have developed many different treatment methods … that practitioners in other countries, Guatemala specifically, tend not to be familiar with in the general training they receive,” he added.