Cambodian Doctor (CD) - Esther these cases you wrote for TB training are not right.
Me - Oh really - how so?
CD - You have written about percentiles on a growth chart but here in Cambodia we use standard deviations instead.
Me - Oh I see, its not a problem though as we can just remove it. I was told by Dr C (Cambodian doctor with NGO) that health workers are more familiar with colour coding of weight anyway. (Green normal, Orange minus 2 SD & Red minus 3 SD) So we can just leave in the text what colour the child plots on the chart.
CD - No we need to have the SD as well.
Me - OK but do you know what SD means so you can explain it to participants when they ask?
CD - *silence*
Me - Lets just delete percentiles & keep the colours hey? Keep it simple.
Cambodian Nurse - But Esther the problem with that is the yellow card which is used in Cambodia doesn't have green for normal, it has yellow! And it doesn't mention percentiles or standard deviations.
Me - Oh - perhaps we should just say normal or say that the colour for normal can be either green or yellow depending on what chart is being used.
CD - No we MUST say green & SD!
CN - But that may confuse people because the yellow card (growth chart & also used to record immunisations - like a red book in the UK) which is used from birth to 5 years old has yellow as normal weight.
CD - No it doesn't - you are wrong.
CN - (producing his daughter's yellow card) Bong (respectful term of address) but look here is an example of a Cambodian yellow card.
Long protracted conversation in khmer - Cambodian doctor shouting at submissive Cambodian nurse - I understand only weight, yellow & green.
CD goes to get his laptop & does a google search of weight charts.
CD - (triumphantly) See, here is a photo of a chart with green not yellow as normal.
Me - Yes, very good, I can see that. Is that the charts you use here in Cambodia though?
CD - (said immediately with no thought) YES!
Me - (heavy sarcasm) Oh I see so what CN has just showed us is not a Cambodian weight chart, but what you find on the internet is?
CN kicks me under the table
Me - (smiling through gritted teeth) OK so I will delete the percentile & keep the colours - green, orange & red.
CD walks off with chest puffed out. CN & I lock eyes & simultaneously roll them.
This is how small & petty my life has become, its painful.....
Me - Oh really - how so?
CD - You have written about percentiles on a growth chart but here in Cambodia we use standard deviations instead.
Me - Oh I see, its not a problem though as we can just remove it. I was told by Dr C (Cambodian doctor with NGO) that health workers are more familiar with colour coding of weight anyway. (Green normal, Orange minus 2 SD & Red minus 3 SD) So we can just leave in the text what colour the child plots on the chart.
CD - No we need to have the SD as well.
Me - OK but do you know what SD means so you can explain it to participants when they ask?
CD - *silence*
Me - Lets just delete percentiles & keep the colours hey? Keep it simple.
Cambodian Nurse - But Esther the problem with that is the yellow card which is used in Cambodia doesn't have green for normal, it has yellow! And it doesn't mention percentiles or standard deviations.
Me - Oh - perhaps we should just say normal or say that the colour for normal can be either green or yellow depending on what chart is being used.
CD - No we MUST say green & SD!
CN - But that may confuse people because the yellow card (growth chart & also used to record immunisations - like a red book in the UK) which is used from birth to 5 years old has yellow as normal weight.
CD - No it doesn't - you are wrong.
CN - (producing his daughter's yellow card) Bong (respectful term of address) but look here is an example of a Cambodian yellow card.
Long protracted conversation in khmer - Cambodian doctor shouting at submissive Cambodian nurse - I understand only weight, yellow & green.
CD goes to get his laptop & does a google search of weight charts.
CD - (triumphantly) See, here is a photo of a chart with green not yellow as normal.
Me - Yes, very good, I can see that. Is that the charts you use here in Cambodia though?
CD - (said immediately with no thought) YES!
Me - (heavy sarcasm) Oh I see so what CN has just showed us is not a Cambodian weight chart, but what you find on the internet is?
CN kicks me under the table
Me - (smiling through gritted teeth) OK so I will delete the percentile & keep the colours - green, orange & red.
CD walks off with chest puffed out. CN & I lock eyes & simultaneously roll them.
This is how small & petty my life has become, its painful.....
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