cortisone is a safe, effective topical medicine, seems like an excellent choice. Once again, excellent project, well-conceived and well-executed. Might be useful to get some end-user missioner feedback on what was actually used and useful, since much of the effectiveness of the kit is related to the conditions on the ground and the level of training and preparedness of the missioners.

Thank you. I gleam what information I can; I'm talking with non-medical personnel.

Jeanette Isabelle

JI... transferred here per your request from the critique thread.... for those looking at how to organize your FAKs, the videos on YouTube by USNERDOC are excellent tutorials... he goes over the top on individual packaging and labeling.... variety of levels of care in his series... link is for the basic kit....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P60_sELRkqw

Thank you for the link. Is there a video on how to build a kit for large groups?

Jeanette Isabelle

I really like this kit set-up , Jeanette Isabelle. It seems really comprehensive to me. I agree with haertig, that you're probably the queen of FAKs. And I'll say it again, I think it's a really great thing you're doing.

If it was my personal kit, I'd add a little LED penlight or key chain light, or better yet, a headlamp, but I don't know how these kits fit into the bigger picture of the missionaries supplies.

I also carry a Mylar or Heatsheets blanket in mine, but I deal with the threat of cold injuries here that might not be issue in Gutamala, Africa or India. I don't know enough about those environments to wager an opinion, but if there's a chance it could get cold at night, or a cold rain could roll in, etc. It might be worth considering. Then again, it goes back to the big picture of their other supplies, cost and space.

I also keep some water purification tabs in my kit, for sanitation and hydration, but you said that running water isn't an issue for them.

Would you suggest penlights like there? One should fit in the instrument compartment.

http://www.chinookmed.com/cgi-bin/item/3...---------------

These kits are going to warm climates so I don't perceive hypothermia being a problem.

Edit: It does rain in the mountains of Guatemala; I still don't know if a space blanket would be beneficial or fit in the kit.

There is running water in Guatemala but it is not safe for those of us in industrialized nations to drink so bottled water is used.

Jeanette Isabelle

That one looks great. I like to have a little light in case I need to do first aid in the dark, not mention that patient monitoring can be a nightly affair too, and things like pupil dilation and skin tonne can be important assessment factors that are hard gauge without light. A pen light can be held in the mouth for hands free use, making it a good alternative to a headlamp IMO.

Keeping warm a patient who is in shock is something to consider. I've never really thought about not needing a blanket of some sort for that, even a Mylar one, but that could be the Canuckian in me speaking from my Northern experience. I will say this though, when I shattered my shoulder at the end of July a few years ago, I went into shock and was shivering because I was so cold, even though the temp was still in the the 30Cs. Could have been the shock, the sun exposure, or a combination.

Thanks for the link to the pen lights, btw. I need a few more and that's an a smoking good deal compared to what I've seen around here.

Question- I have not looked at those style lights in a while- maybe they have upgraded them- They used to last an hour, have bad batteries, and no throw whatsoever.

Have they improved?

would a cheap throwaway LED be better/worse?
I pick up one of this style for a 8 year old- 1.25 at Walmart. It was still working a year later... Lithium button cell battery, store forever, cheap, small....

http://www.beepbee.com/assorted-colors-p...ml#.UfJzVG_vseE

What is the quality of these lights? I do not know the quality of the lights I linked; I have done business with this company. So far I've been a happy customer.

Jeanette Isabelle