Mitigating Chronic Diseases during Archaeological Fieldwork: Lessons from Managing Asthma, Diabetes, and Depression

Bibliographic Information

Article Title

Mitigating Chronic Diseases during Archaeological Fieldwork: Lessons from Managing Asthma, Diabetes, and Depression

Journal Title

Advances in Archaeological Practice

Author(s)

Klehm, Carla and Hildebrand, Elisabeth and Meyers, Maureen S.

Month of Publication

March

Year of Publication

2021

Volume Number

9

Issue Number

1

Article Pages

41–48

Web Address (URL)

https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2020.49

Additional Information

Language

English

Notes

Abstract

Chronic diseases and preexisting conditions shape daily life for many archaeologists both in and out of the field. Chronic issues, however, can be overlooked in safety planning, which more often focuses on emergency situations because they are considered mundane, or they are imperceptible to project directors and crews until a serious problem arises. This article focuses on asthma, diabetes, and depression as common medical conditions that impact otherwise healthy archaeologists during fieldwork, with the goal of raising awareness of these conditions in particular, and the need to be more attentive to chronic diseases in general. Archaeological fieldwork presents novel situations that put those with chronic diseases and preexisting conditions at risk: environmental hazards, remoteness from medical and social resources and networks, lack of group awareness, and varying cultural norms. As a result, if chronic diseases are not attended to properly in the field, they can lead to life-threatening situations. Managing the risk presented by these conditions requires a group culture where team members are aware of issues, as appropriate, and collaborate to mitigate them during fieldwork. Descriptions of how chronic diseases affect archaeologists in the field are followed by “best practice” recommendations for self-management and for group leaders.

 

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