World Spirometry Day

October 14, 2010 was World Spirometry Day, and the clinicians from the chest clinic organized free spirometry screening outside the hospital. Spirometry is a tool used to measure lung function and can be useful in diagnosing various lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis etc.

Curious Kenyans gathered to see why people were exhaling aggressively into machines, and the brave individuals stepped into line. Most seemed a bit apprehensive, and I realized that culturally, it is not the norm to actively seek out problems in your body. One of my coworkers explained, "If I don't feel sick and I don't look sick, why should I go look for a problem? It will only ruin my spirit."

The idea of annual physicals is a foreign concept here, and preventable diseases are often identified in late stages when interventions are unfortunately futile. Preventive medicine has been a hot topic recently, and whether or not it is cost-effective to shift the healthcare focus to prevention in the US is controversial. In Kenya and in other low-resource settings, not only are basic preventive care services not readily available, but education is lacking to get individuals to proactively seek out these services. My coworker further confirmed this when he explained that his girlfriend (and many of her friends) refuse to go for cervical screening, and if something is wrong, she/they will go when the pain is severe enough.

I think that it is great that health services like spirometry and cervical screening are being introduced here. However, a tremendous need still remains for better education within the community about these services in order to encourage more individuals to proactively use them. I hope that I can remember this in the future since it's so easy to assume what people do or do not know about their own health!