Psychiatric hospital, March 16, 2012

We were at the psychiatric hospital Anita Moreno on March 16, 2012 from 7am to 2pm. It was the last clinical day and the best clinical experience in Panama. This psychiatric hospital is almost 40 years old and it seems like hospital never has been updated. Most patients had chronic conditions of psychiatric history such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse. There were around 120 patients in the hospital, but I was very surprised that there were only a couple of nurses working because of the hospital budget. Many psychiatric medications were same as U.S. but a lot of times hospital doesn’t even have enough medications for patients. I noticed that they use the same medicine cup all the time and reuse all supplies if possible. We did lots of activities with patients throughout the day including drawing, ball game, and dancing. Many patients were incapable to anticipate the activities, so we had to change the plan as we go. Overall, I believe the time we spent with patients is the best gift we can give for them.