Voluntourism

Sullivan, Hannah

doi:10.1001/amajethics.2019.815

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…It is important to acknowledge that STEGH participants generally do not fill critical human resource gaps at host institutions and, when poorly executed, reflect “voluntourism,” impeding opportunities for local practitioners, undermining local health infrastructure, and potentially harming patients. 1 , 11 , 12 , 39 If traveling, trainees should take part in research or clinical activities that require in-person presence as a component of longitudinal programs showing demonstrable benefit to host institutions and professional communities. Passive learning via observation and lecture-based programs should be reconsidered given developments in virtual capabilities.…”

Section: Restructuring Rotationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there are ethical concerns around multiple aspects of STEGH, including “medical voluntourism” and the need to decolonize medical global health education. 9 – 12 , 16 As such, many educational programs are working to improve bilateral exchange and are revisiting long-standing practices in STEGH. 1 , 13 – 15 Critical program review and pre-departure orientation education acknowledging problematic histories of colonialism and White saviorism are being implemented across U.S.-based academic medical centers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethical Considerations of Climate Justice and International Air Travel in Short-Term Electives in Global Health

Dhawan

Rammelkamp

Kayandabila

et al. 2023

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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In July 2022, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Green Task Force advocated to acknowledge the health impacts of climate change, particularly on those in low- and middle-income countries, and called on global health organizations to act. Simultaneously, academic medical centers are resuming Short-Term Electives in Global Health (STEGH) as travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic ease in most countries. International flights by trainees from academic medical centers in high-income countries (HIC) on these electives encapsulate the climate injustice of who generates carbon emissions and who bears the impacts of climate change. Using “decolonization” and “decarbonization” as guiding principles, we suggest several strategies that global medical education programs in HIC could implement. First, restructure rotations to halt STEGH with minimal benefit to host institutions, optimize trainee activities while abroad, and lengthen rotation duration. Second, programs can calculate the carbon impact of their STEGH and implement concrete measures to cut emissions. Finally, we urge academic medical centers to promote climate-resilient healthcare infrastructure in host countries and advocate for climate solutions on the global stage.

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Section: Restructuring Rotationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethical Considerations of Climate Justice and International Air Travel in Short-Term Electives in Global Health

Dhawan

Rammelkamp

Kayandabila

et al. 2023

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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“…The recent influx of volunteers blurred the line between volunteerism and voluntourism, 5,6 leading to a growing ethical debate on the utility of these medical missions. 7 Host countries take on an enormous burden to accommodate visiting SVOs. Often, they must postpone their own clinic and operating room schedules to enable the visiting surgeons to work.…”

Section: The Dilemmamentioning

confidence: 99%

The landscape of global urologic surgery missions after COVID-19 lockdown: are we ready for their return?

Sharma

Loozen²,

Sweeney³

et al. 2023

Journal of Global Health Reports

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Concerns have been raised that the lack of progress regarding limited surgical resources in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) would lead to a new crisis. In 2015, it was estimated that there was a shortage of 1.1 million surgical staff disproportionately affecting LMICs. 1 Conditions for smaller surgical subspecialties like urology are even more discouraging: Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, has one urologist per 3.2 million people. 2 These discrepancies are expected to worsen following the COVID-19 pandemic, which not only halted local medical and surgical care due to preferential management of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, but also directly affected the personal health and already stretched resources of medical providers. The pandemic also limited international aid that may have been typically provided if it were not for the global shutdown.Global surgical mission groups serve a much-needed purpose in these under-resourced locations. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, over 250 000 surgeries were performed by surgical volunteer organizations (SVOs) in LMICs. 3 These organizations play an even more important role in helping expose and train local providers.International Volunteers in Urology (IVUmed) is a surgical mission group conducting surgical workshops in LMICs, while also focusing on creating a sustainable training pipeline. Its aim is to eventually hand over the entire surgical workshop and the training program to local physicians in LMICs so that they can independently expand and support themselves. Before the pandemic, IVUmed was performing 25 missions in 13 countries per year. On average, it provided care for 812 patients, performing 564 cases and training 296 local surgeons at an estimated service value of US$4 204 217.60 annually. As the COVID-19 virus spread around the globe, domestic and international travel came to a halt, as did surgical missions. 4 It has been over two years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and since IVUmed's last workshop. As vaccines were developed and are being deployed, and as LMICs are adjusting to a postpandemic landscape, the question remains of how and when to restart surgical missions in these regions.

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“…Furthermore, the one-sided mobility meant that there were limited opportunities for LMIC medical students to travel to Western medical schools and experience and learn about new cultures. Giving more attention in the literature to the needs of medical communities based in LMIC may inform practice that is more equitable and inclusive [ 74 ].…”

Section: Internationalization “At Home”mentioning

confidence: 99%

Internationalization of Medical Education — Motivations and Formats of Current Practices

Choi

Diderich

et al. 2022

Med.Sci.Educ.

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Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance for medical professionals to engage in work transcending national borders and to deeply understand perspectives of health in other countries. Internationalization of medical education can play a key role to that end, by preparing culturally competent and globally conscious medical healthcare professionals. The aim of this scoping review is to identify current practices and formats in internationalization in medical education, which to date has received sparse academic attention. The need for this review is heightened amid COVID-19 where a clearer understanding of current internationalization efforts can inform more effective practice. We also explore if the motivations driving internationalization activities in medicine align with current practice and formats based on a framework of thematic categories found in the field of international higher education. In addition, we identify gaps in existing research. Methods Using a scoping review, an international and interdisciplinary research team employed a comprehensive search strategy to identify publications on existing efforts in IoME, published from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2020, in Scopus, PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied to identify relevant data from publication titles, abstracts, and main texts, which were subsequently summarized. Coding schemes were developed based on models for comprehensive internationalization in higher education. Results 350 articles met the inclusion criteria. Most articles originated from the high-income countries of the Global North and accounted for a literature base favoring perspectives and understandings that were typically representative of this region. Whereas motivations for internationalizing medical curricula in high-income countries were generally rooted in a model of social transformation/justice/health equity, drivers relating to competition and workforce preparation were common in the low- and middle-income countries. Importantly, the motivations driving internationalization activities generally did not align well with reported internationalization formats, which included student mobility, international curricula at home, and global partnerships. There was a disconnect between what medical curricula/professionals hope to accomplish and the reality of practice on the ground. Discussion and Conclusion There is a need for a common definition of internationalization of medical education and a more balanced and unbiased literature base, capturing the full spectrum of internationalization activities existing in both the Global North and South. International partnership frameworks need to equally benefit institutions of both the Global North and Global South. Currently, institutions in the low- and middle-income countries generally cater to the needs and interests of their ...

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Voluntourism

Cited by 10 publications

References 8 publications

Ethical Considerations of Climate Justice and International Air Travel in Short-Term Electives in Global Health

Ethical Considerations of Climate Justice and International Air Travel in Short-Term Electives in Global Health

The landscape of global urologic surgery missions after COVID-19 lockdown: are we ready for their return?

Internationalization of Medical Education — Motivations and Formats of Current Practices

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