Results of a humanitarian otologic and audiologic project performed outside of the United States: Lessons learned from the "Oye, Amigos!" project

From 1989 to 1993, "Oye, Amigos!" a combined group of hearing health and other medical professionals performed 18 humanitarian medical and audiologic trips to Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. The group saw 1500 patients, issued over 800 hearing aids, and performed 150 surgeries on 123 patients. Our tympanoplasty success rate, defined as an intact tympanic membrane, was 41% during the first 2 years of the project but increased to 74% during the last 3 years. Two hundred eighteen patients who were candidates for surgery did not return for care. We present the lessons learned from the surgical care and overall management of this project, and present suggestions to improve future projects.