A specialized health camp (Orthopedics) in rural set up: an experience from a tertiary care institution in Nepal

Abstract

Background: A health camp is a stationary or mobile short-term medical intervention done for target communities in order to provide medical check-ups and medications to the people in the community. A specialized health camp focuses on a certain group of people for detailed workup and hence better results. Such specialized health camps have not been conducted for orthopedics in Nepal yet. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted from 2016 to 2019. Data recorded on a proforma were stored on an Excel spreadsheet and later analyzed using SPSS 16.0. Chief complaints and other relevant demographic data were analyzed. Results: A total of 1554 patients were seen with a mean age group of 49.9 years. The most common complaints were knee pain 544 (35.00%) followed by back pain 513 (33.01%). Conclusion: A specialized health camp is beneficial to a community as it results in early diagnosis and prompt management of a disease. It also leads to increased awareness among people belonging to a rural community.