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New Administrative Leader Takes Reins at CUMC
School of Nursing
| Nurses Group Provides One-Stop-Shop for Travelers To mark the 10th anniversary of Columbia Advanced Practice Nurse Associates (CAPNA), Mary O'Neil Mundinger, DrPh, Centennial Professor of Health Policy and dean of the School of Nursing, has launched a new service that addresses the health needs of people traveling anywhere in the world. Founded by Dr. Mundinger, CAPNA, based in the medical center’s East 60th street location, provides comprehensive primary care. Columbia Travel Medicine at CAPNA applies the same individualized approach to caring for travelers as it does to caring for patients in its CAPNA practice. “We conduct a full pre-travel consultation, taking into account who the traveler is, where he or she is going, and what they plan to do at their destination,” says Melissa Kramps, assistant professor of clinical nursing and an adult/gerontological nurse practitioner who coordinates the travel medicine program. “Someone who intends to stay at a full service, high class hotel will likely have different needs than someone who will be backpacking through rice paddies or the bush.” Though the travel practice has been open only a few months, the nurse practitioners have already seen a broad range of clients, from a young woman with little money and only a vague plan to travel in southeast Asia for nine months, to people setting out by private jet for a destination they read about in Travel & Leisure. “You have to balance the person’s itinerary, personal, and medical needs,” says Ms. Kramps. “For example, when it comes to providing protection against malaria, you wouldn’t prescribe the antibiotic doxycycline, which causes photosensitivity, to someone who plans to lie on the beach all day. On the other hand, if someone is going to scuba dive or explore caves, you would more likely prescribe doxycycline than an antibiotic whose side effects might be paranoia and even hallucinations, but not photosensitivity.” In addition to prescribing medicines, the nurse practitioners counsel patients about measures to protect against health dangers that may not be vaccine preventable, such as some insect-borne diseases, and injury prevention, the No. 1 cause of death among travelers (always use seatbelts and stay off mopeds and motorcycles, they say). The nurse practitioners also dispense advice on all aspects of staying healthy abroad, such as evacuation services and insurance, food and water safety, and protection against identity fraud. “The goal of travel is to have an enjoyable experience,” Ms. Kramps says. “Adequate preparation for the trip can help make that happen.” For more information, call 212-326-5710 or go to www.capna.com |
