Neurosurgery Certification in Member Societies of the WFNS: Africa and the Middle East

Gasco, Jaime; Barber, Sean M.; McCutcheon, Ian E.; Black, Peter McL.

doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2010.09.006

Cited by 4 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The written examination format varies among different universities with a mixture of multiple-choice questions and essay questions. 11 The oral/clinical examination includes anatomy, pathology, radiology, and examining patients through short and long cases. The Objective Structured Clinical Skills Examination is performed at most universities.…”

Section: Neurosurgical Certification In Egyptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The average number of candidates is currently about 50, the examination pass rate is about 60%, and candidates usually succeed on the second or third attempt. 11 Note that the examination is held 2 times every year, and attempts to succeed in the examination can be repeated every 6 months.…”

Section: Neurosurgical Certification In Egyptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fulfilling the necessary training criteria and passing the oral/clinical examinations leads to granting the degree of MD of neurosurgery. 11 The second type of certification is granted by the Ministry of Health through a training program that extends from 7 to 9 years in qualified neurosurgical centers. 11 This certificate confers the title of "Fellowship of Neurosurgery"; it is a training certificate and not an academic degree.…”

Section: Neurosurgical Certification In Egyptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…11 The second type of certification is granted by the Ministry of Health through a training program that extends from 7 to 9 years in qualified neurosurgical centers. 11 This certificate confers the title of "Fellowship of Neurosurgery"; it is a training certificate and not an academic degree. The Ministry of Health ultimately determines who is eligible to join the program.…”

Section: Neurosurgical Certification In Egyptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10,11 The majority of neurosurgeons are located in only a few countries, with the remaining neurosurgeons distributed throughout the rest of the continent. 8,10,11,13 Of the 1165 neurosurgeons in Africa, 756 are located in North African countries and South Africa, which results in a neurosurgeon to population ratio of 1:300,913. The remaining 409 neurosurgeons exist in East, West, and Central African countries, with a neurosurgeon to population ratio of 1:2,237,016.…”

Section: Limited Number Of Neurosurgeons and Unbalanced Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neurosurgical education in Egypt and Africa

El-Ghandour¹

2020

Neurosurgical Focus

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OBJECTIVEAfrica still significantly lags in the development of neurosurgery. Egypt, located in North Africa, is well-developed in this specialty, with the largest number of neurosurgeons among all African countries. This article provides insight into neurosurgical training in Egypt, the challenges African neurosurgeons are facing, and the requirements needed to enhance neurosurgical education and build up the required neurosurgical capacity in Africa.METHODSThe information presented in the current work was collected from databases of the Egyptian Society of Neurological Surgeons and the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies.RESULTSThere are two types of neurosurgical certification in Egypt. The first type is granted by the universities (MD), and the second is awarded by the Ministry of Health (Fellow of Neurosurgery). The program in both types ranges from 6 to 9 years. The number of qualified neurosurgeons in Egypt constitutes one-third of the total number of African neurosurgeons. There is a significant shortage of neurological surgeons in Africa, and the distribution is entirely unbalanced, with the majority of neurosurgeons concentrated in the North and South regions. The most important challenge facing neurosurgery in Africa is lack of resources, which is considered to be the main obstacle to the development of neurosurgery. Other challenges include the limited number of neurosurgeons, lack of training programs, and lack of collaboration among the different regions.CONCLUSIONSProper collaboration among the different regions within the African continent regarding neurosurgical education will enhance African neurosurgical capacity and make neurosurgery an independent specialty. The definite functional polarity among different regions, regarding both the number of qualified neurosurgeons and the neurosurgical capacity, is an important factor that could help in the development of neurosurgery in this continent.

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Section: Neurosurgical Certification In Egyptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Neurosurgical Certification In Egyptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Neurosurgical Certification In Egyptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Neurosurgical Certification In Egyptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limited Number Of Neurosurgeons and Unbalanced Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neurosurgical education in Egypt and Africa

El-Ghandour¹

2020

Neurosurgical Focus

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An analysis of cross-continental scholarship requirements during neurosurgical training and national research productivity

Rallo¹,

Ashraf²,

Jumah³

et al. 2020

Neurosurgical Focus

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OBJECTIVEEngagement in research and scholarship is considered a hallmark of neurosurgical training. However, the participation of neurosurgical trainees in this experience has only recently been analyzed and described in the United States, with little, if any, data available regarding the research environment in neurosurgical training programs across the globe. Here, the authors set out to identify requirements for research involvement and to quantify publication rates in leading neurosurgical journals throughout various nations across the globe.METHODSThe first aim was to identify the research requirements set by relevant program-accrediting and/or board-certifying agencies via query of the literature and published guidelines. For the second part of the study, the authors attempted to determine each country’s neurosurgical research productivity by quantifying publications in the various large international neurosurgical journals—World Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery, and Neurosurgery—via a structured search of PubMed.RESULTSData on neurosurgical training requirements addressing research were available for 54 (28.1%) of 192 countries. Specific research requirements were identified for 39 countries, partial requirements for 8, and no requirements for 7. Surprisingly, the authors observed a trend of increased average research productivity with the absence of designated research requirements, although this finding is not unprecedented in the literature.CONCLUSIONSA variety of countries of various sizes and neurosurgical workforce densities across the globe have instituted research requirements during training and/or prior to board certification in neurosurgery. These requirements range in intensity from 1 publication or presentation to the completion of a thesis or dissertation and occur at various time points throughout training. While these requirements do not correlate directly to national research productivity, they may provide a foundation for developing countries to establish a culture of excellence in research.

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Fulfilling the specialist neurosurgical workforce needs in Africa: a systematic review and projection toward 2030

Ukachukwu

Still

Seas

et al. 2023

Journal of Neurosurgery

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OBJECTIVE Africa contributes significantly to the global neurosurgical disease burden but has only 1% of the neurosurgery workforce. This study appraises the neurosurgical workforce and training capacity in Africa and projects the workforce capacity by 2030. METHODS The authors conducted a systematic review of the online literature on neurosurgical workforce and training in Africa obtained from three journal databases (PubMed, Embase, and African Index Medicus), as well as from a gray literature search, between September and December 2020. Included literature passed a two-level screening conducted using a systematic review software by a team of two independent reviewers. Data were extracted from selected articles and documented and analyzed on spreadsheets. RESULTS One hundred and fifty-nine eligible articles were analyzed: 1974 neurosurgeons serve 1.3 billion people in Africa (density 0.15 per 100,000 persons, ratio 1:678,740), with uneven distribution between the regions. North Africa has 64.39% of the neurosurgical workforce (n = 1271), followed by Southern Africa (12.66%, n = 250), West Africa (11.60%, n = 229), East Africa (8.26%, n = 163), and Central Africa (3.09%, n = 61). At an exponential growth rate of 7.03% (95% CI 5.83%–8.23%) per annum, Africa will have 3418 (95% CI 1811–6080) neurosurgeons by 2030, with a deficit of 5191 neurosurgeons, based on population workforce targets. In terms of training, there are 106 neurosurgery training institutions in 26 African countries. North Africa has 52 training centers (49.05%), West Africa 23 (21.70%), East Africa 15 (14.15%), Southern Africa 14 (13.21%), and Central Africa 2 (1.89%). The major regional training programs are those of the West African College of Surgeons (24 sites in 7 countries) and the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa (17 sites in 8 countries). CONCLUSIONS The study is limited as it is based on the online literature, some of which includes modeled estimates with questionable reliability. However, the results indicate that while countries in North Africa are expected to surpass their population workforce requirements, sub-Saharan African countries are likely to have significant workforce deficits accentuated by the paucity of neurosurgery training programs. To meet the 2030 population workforce requirements, the continent’s exponential growth rate should be scaled up to 15.87% per annum. Scaling up neurosurgical training would help to meet this target and requires collaborative efforts from continental, regional, and national agencies and international organizations.

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Neurosurgery Certification in Member Societies of the WFNS: Africa and the Middle East

Cited by 4 publications

References 22 publications

Neurosurgical education in Egypt and Africa

Neurosurgical education in Egypt and Africa

An analysis of cross-continental scholarship requirements during neurosurgical training and national research productivity

Fulfilling the specialist neurosurgical workforce needs in Africa: a systematic review and projection toward 2030

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