Rules of Engagement: The Principles of Underserved Global Health Volunteerism

Wilson, John W.; Merry, Stephen; Franz, Walter B.

doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2012.01.008

Cited by 40 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Despite these benefits, ethical concerns remain regarding individuals’ motives and unintended impacts on host institutions and populations [22], particularly with short-term experiences as they are often unsustainable and lack adequate follow-up and supervision [23–31]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Health: an interactive, online, open-access curriculum preparing medical learners for global health experiences

Jacquet

Umoren

Hayward

et al. 2018

Medical Education Online

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Background: Short-term experiences in global health (STEGH) are increasingly common in medical education, as they can provide learners with opportunities for service, learning, and sharing perspectives. Academic institutions need high-quality preparatory curricula and mentorship to prepare learners for potential challenges in ethics, cultural sensitivity, and personal safety; however, availability and quality of these are variable.Objective: The objective of this study is to create and evaluate an open-access, interactive massive open online course (MOOC) that prepares learners to safely and effectively participate in STEGH, permits flexible and asynchronous learning, is free of charge, and provides a certificate upon successful completion.Methods: Global health experts from 8 countries, 42 institutions, and 7 specialties collaborated to create The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Health (PGGH): the first course of this kind on the edX platform. Demographic data, pre- and posttests, and course evaluations were collected and analyzed.Results: Within its first year, PGGH enrolled 5935 learners from 163 countries. In a limited sample of 109 learners, mean posttest scores were significantly improved (p < 0.01). In the course’s second year, 213 sampled learners had significant improvement (p < 0.001).Conclusion: We created and evaluated the first interactive, asynchronous, free-of-charge global health preparation MOOC. The course has had significant interest from US-based and international learners, and posttest scores have shown significant improvement.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Health: an interactive, online, open-access curriculum preparing medical learners for global health experiences

Jacquet

Umoren

Hayward

et al. 2018

Medical Education Online

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“…Reports have shown that students take risks abroad they would not take at home. 7,26 Novelty and excitement, compounded with a sense of limited options, can make safety a low priority for trainees abroad. Risks occur inside and outside the hospital.…”

Section: Practical Lessonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3,4 These experiences allow students to learn about culture and health in unique ways, improve their diagnostic skills, see a wide variety of new pathology, work in limited resource settings, and practice caring for diverse patient populations. [5][6][7][8] The host communities and health systems benefit from the increased access to health care, health system strengthening by partnering with hospitals and schools in higher-income countries, and the improved quality of care through the academic rigor resulting from the medical students' curiosity or research projects they perform. One study noted that LMIC patients receiving care looked favorably on medical student involvement on health teams.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…16 There is a growing body of literature on best practice guidelines, curriculum development, and ethical frameworks for short-term medical experiences in global health. 3,5,7,14,[17][18][19][20][21] Recommendations for medical students embarking on international electives include recognizing that the primary purpose of the trip is medical education, communicating level of training clearly to all parties, practicing cultural humility, ensuring personal safety, and focusing on activities relevant to and needed by the host. This article serves to offer practical advice aimed at medical students participating in international rotations in order to make trips maximally beneficial to both students and their host communities.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Avoiding pitfalls in overseas medical educational experiences

2017

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In the United States, there are a growing number of medical students participating in international health electives. These experiences have the potential to be mutually beneficial to both the host country and the student. However, there is a significant risk of unethical and damaging practices during these trips, including concerns for sending trainees without appropriate pre-travel preparation with inadequate accountability to local health care providers at a stage in their education that imposes an undue burden on the local health facilities. This article describes one first year medical student's experience in navigating common challenges faced in international health electives and offers practical advice enlightened by the literature on how to overcome them. We emphasize the need for students to ensure adequate pre-trip preparation, communicate their level of training clearly, practice cultural humility, ensure personal safety, and engage in projects needed by the host community.

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“…7 In low-income settings, expatriate physicians serve important roles in addressing physician shortages and helping to establish medical education infrastructure. 8,9 In Malawi specifically, expatriate physicians held half of the faculty positions at the University of Malawi College of Medicine (COM) in 2007 and have been integral in developing COM postgraduate training programmes. 8,10,11 In the last decade,…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Malawian impressions of expatriate physicians: A qualitative study

Parekh¹,

Sawatsky²,

Mbata

et al. 2016

Mal. Med. J

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BackgroundIn many low-income countries, including Malawi, expatriate physicians serve diverse roles in clinical care, education, mentorship, and research. A significant proportion of physicians from high-income countries have global health experience. Despite the well-known benefits of global health experiences for expatriates, little is known about local physician and trainee impressions of their expatriate counterparts. The objective of this study was to explore University of Malawi College of Medicine (COM) physicians' and trainees' impressions of expatriate physicians. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with COM medical students, interns, registrars, and faculty. Through open coding, we developed a codebook that we applied to interview transcripts and used thematic analysis to identify major themes. ResultsWe interviewed 46 participants from across the continuum of medical education at two teaching hospitals in Malawi. Participants discussed themes within the following domains: perceived benefits of expatriate physicians in Malawi, perceived challenges, past contributions, and perceived roles that expatriate physicians should play going forward. Malawian faculty and trainees appreciated the approachability, perspectives, and contribution to education that expatriates have provided, though at times some have been perceived as aggressive, unable to relate to patients and trainees, deficient at adapting to the setting, and self-serving. Potential roles that Malawian physicians and trainees feel expatriates should serve include education, training, capacity building, and facilitating exchange opportunities for local physicians and trainees. Conclusions This study highlights the perceived benefits and challenges that physicians and trainees at the COM have experienced with their expatriate counterparts, and suggests roles that expatriates should play while abroad. These findings can be used to help inform existing global health guidelines, assist with the establishment of host institution expectations for global health programmes, and guide individual expatriate physicians who hope to optimise their roles abroad.

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Rules of Engagement: The Principles of Underserved Global Health Volunteerism

Cited by 40 publications

References 14 publications

The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Health: an interactive, online, open-access curriculum preparing medical learners for global health experiences

The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Health: an interactive, online, open-access curriculum preparing medical learners for global health experiences

Avoiding pitfalls in overseas medical educational experiences

Malawian impressions of expatriate physicians: A qualitative study

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