BackgroundGrowing concerns about the value and effectiveness of short-term volunteer trips intending to improve health in underserved Global South communities has driven the development of guidelines by multiple organizations and individuals. These are intended to mitigate potential harms and maximize benefits associated with such efforts.MethodThis paper analyzes 27 guidelines derived from a scoping review of the literature available in early 2017, describing their authorship, intended audiences, the aspects of short term medical missions (STMMs) they address, and their attention to guideline implementation. It further considers how these guidelines relate to the desires of host communities, as seen in studies of host country staff who work with volunteers.ResultsExisting guidelines are almost entirely written by and addressed to educators and practitioners in the Global North. There is broad consensus on key principles for responsible, effective, and ethical programs--need for host partners, proper preparation and supervision of visitors, needs assessment and evaluation, sustainability, and adherence to pertinent legal and ethical standards. Host country staff studies suggest agreement with the main elements of this guideline consensus, but they add the importance of mutual learning and respect for hosts.ConclusionsGuidelines must be informed by research and policy directives from host countries that is now mostly absent. Also, a comprehensive strategy to support adherence to best practice guidelines is needed, given limited regulation and enforcement capacity in host country contexts and strong incentives for involved stakeholders to undertake or host STMMs that do not respect key principles.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12992-018-0330-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Abstractconcentrations such as occurred in Barcelona in relation to soya bean dust have been associated Background -There is evidence to suggest that changes in weather and airborne with large numbers of acute exacerbations. 10 Inhaled pollens are an established cause of fungal spore and pollen counts may affect asthma symptoms.respiratory symptoms in humans. In New Zealand introduced species such as grasses, birch, Methods -The relationship between climate, airborne fungal spore, and pollen macrocarpa, oak, alder, pine, wattle and plantain are among the commonly described counts and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and asthma symptoms was pro-aeroallergens.11 12 Some studies have linked increased pollen levels to asthma admissions and spectively investigated in a population of mild to moderate asthmatic subjects in others have associated pollen exposure with increased bronchial responsiveness. jects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disBiotechnology, Massey University, (Thorax 1997;52:528-534) ease as their primary diagnosis were excluded Palmerston North, during screening. Following recruitment, the New Zealand

Short-term experiences in global health (STEGH), also known as short-term medical missions continue to be a popular mode of engagement in global health activities for students, healthcare providers, and religious groups, driven primarily by organizations from high-income countries. While STEGH have the potential to be beneficial, a large proportion of these do not sustainably benefit the communities they intend to serve, may undermine local health systems, operate without appropriate licenses, go beyond their intended purposes, and may cause harm to patients. With heightened calls to "decolonize" global health, and to achieve ethical, sustainable, and practical engagements, there is a need to establish strong guiding principles for global health engagements. The Advocacy for Global Health Partnerships (AGHP), a multi-sectoral coalition, was established to reflect on and address the concerns relating to STEGH. Towards this end, AGHP created the Brocher Declaration to lay out six main principles that should guide ethical and appropriate STEGH practices. A variety of organizations have accepted the Declaration and are using it to provide guidance for effective implementation of appropriate global health efforts. The Declaration joins broader efforts to promote equity in global health and a critical reevaluation of volunteer-centric, charity-based missions. The current state of the world's health demands a new model of collaboration -one that sparks deep discussions of shared innovation and builds ethical partnerships to address pressing issues in global health.

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