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SAN ANTONIO
MEDICINE

Pen & Paper

By Chase Ballard

When we have the opportunity to provide
health care abroad, it is a transition for us —
and also for those who invite us in. We may
spend months preparing for the trip by attend-
ing classes, communicating with community
partners and talking with people who have gone
before us to help ease the transition. It is always
easier said than done. During my time with
the Kisoboka Uganda team, I realized that in
knowing everything about a community or cul-
ture, it’s the simple things that allow us to break
the international ice. Something as simple as
a pen and paper can give patients knowledge of
their medical histories or serve as a sketchpad
for children so they can feel more comfortable
with a stranger asking them random questions.
I feel as though the simple things allow us to Maybe there is a reason a patient can’t recall Photograph features Dana Glaser, Class
bridge the gap between cultures and help us to the names of their medication, which labs or of 2022, talking with a young boy on a
global health trip to Uganda.
provide better care. scans were done, or the name on the white coat
I took this photo during my pre-clinical years, they saw last week. It does make our jobs more
and now that I am at the end of my clinical year, manageable when we can look this all up our-
it’s even more apparent how valuable the con- selves, so it may not seem like a big deal. How-
nection between physician and patient is. Ar- ever, seeing all those notes can trap us into
guably this could be one of the most critical thinking about a patient, in the same way, blind-
aspects of patient care, especially for a medical ing us to something else that may be going on.
student who still struggles to pronounce Leve- New information and clues turn up in face-to-
tiracetam (or remember the brand name!). face conversations, in the initial visit or a follow-
Throughout my time as a third-year medical up, not with a quick glimpse at the computer
student, I have witnessed another gap between screen. In the few months of my medical “ca-
ourselves and our patients. We learn about all reer,” I have had some of the most moving and
these different scans and labs that promise more meaningful experiences with patients when I let
accurate diagnoses to provide treatment for spe- them tell their story initially, with only having
cific diseases. We learn how to navigate through my pen and paper in hand.
different electronic medical systems, which are
supposed to provide effortless communication Chase Ballard is a medical student at
between providers. Rotation after rotation, we the Long School of Medicine, UT
learn the labs, studies, imaging, exam findings, Health San Antonio, Class of 2022.
medications and treatment plans in that re-
spected specialty. All of these have allowed us to
become more efficient at treating a disease, but
it appears to have disrupted the ability to de-
velop and maintain that connection.

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