Geoffrey A Anderson1, Katherine Albutt2, Hampus Holmer3, Godfrey Muguti4, Bothwell Mbuwayesango4, David Muchuweti4, Muchabayiwa F Gidiri5, Swagoto Mugapathyay6, Katie Iverson6, Lina Roa7, Sristi Sharma6, Bengt Jeppson8, Kent Jönsson9, Adam Lantz10, Saurabh Saluja11, Yihan Lin6, Isabelle Citron6, John G Meara6, Lars Hagander8. 1. Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Surgery, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: Geoffrey.Anderson@mail.harvard.edu. 2. Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Surgery, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. 3. WHO Collaborating Centre for Surgery and Public Health, Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund, Sweden; Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden. 4. University of Zimbabwe, Department of Surgery, Harare, Zimbabwe. 5. University of Zimbabwe, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harare, Zimbabwe. 6. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. 7. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; University of Alberta, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 8. WHO Collaborating Centre for Surgery and Public Health, Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund, Sweden. 9. Bokamoso Hospital Gaborone, Gaborone, Botswana; WHO Collaborating Centre for Surgery and Public Health, Lund University, Helsingborg Hospital, Department of Orthopedics, Lund, Sweden. 10. WHO Collaborating Centre for Surgery and Public Health, Lund University, Helsingborg Hospital, Department of Orthopedics, Lund, Sweden. 11. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Surgery, New York, New York.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We endeavored to create a comprehensive course in global surgery involving multinational exchange. DESIGN: The course involved 2 weeks of didactics, 2 weeks of clinical rotations in a low-resource setting and 1 week for a capstone project. We evaluated our success through knowledge tests, surveys of the students, and surveys of our Zimbabwean hosts. SETTING: The didactic portions were held in Sweden, and the clinical portion was primarily in Harare with hospitals affiliated with the University of Zimbabwe. PARTICIPANTS: Final year medical students from Lund University in Sweden, Harvard Medical School in the USA and the University of Zimbabwe all participated in didactics in Sweden. The Swedish and American students then traveled to Zimbabwe for clinical work. The Zimbabwean students remained in Sweden for a clinical experience. RESULTS: The course has been taught for 3 consecutive years and is an established part of the curriculum at Lund University, with regular participation from Harvard Medical School and the University of Zimbabwe. Participants report significant improvements in their physical exam skills and their appreciation of the needs of underserved populations, as well as confidence with global surgical concepts. Our Zimbabwean hosts thought the visitors integrated well into the clinical teams, added value to their own students' experience and believe that the exchange should continue despite the burden associated with hosting visiting students. CONCLUSIONS: Here we detail the development of a course in global surgery for medical students that integrates didactic as well as clinical experiences in a low-resource setting. The course includes a true multilateral exchange with students from Sweden, the United States and Zimbabwe participating regularly. We hope that this course might serve as a model for other medical schools looking to establish courses in this burgeoning field.
OBJECTIVE: We endeavored to create a comprehensive course in global surgery involving multinational exchange. DESIGN: The course involved 2 weeks of didactics, 2 weeks of clinical rotations in a low-resource setting and 1 week for a capstone project. We evaluated our success through knowledge tests, surveys of the students, and surveys of our Zimbabwean hosts. SETTING: The didactic portions were held in Sweden, and the clinical portion was primarily in Harare with hospitals affiliated with the University of Zimbabwe. PARTICIPANTS: Final year medical students from Lund University in Sweden, Harvard Medical School in the USA and the University of Zimbabwe all participated in didactics in Sweden. The Swedish and American students then traveled to Zimbabwe for clinical work. The Zimbabwean students remained in Sweden for a clinical experience. RESULTS: The course has been taught for 3 consecutive years and is an established part of the curriculum at Lund University, with regular participation from Harvard Medical School and the University of Zimbabwe. Participants report significant improvements in their physical exam skills and their appreciation of the needs of underserved populations, as well as confidence with global surgical concepts. Our Zimbabwean hosts thought the visitors integrated well into the clinical teams, added value to their own students' experience and believe that the exchange should continue despite the burden associated with hosting visiting students. CONCLUSIONS: Here we detail the development of a course in global surgery for medical students that integrates didactic as well as clinical experiences in a low-resource setting. The course includes a true multilateral exchange with students from Sweden, the United States and Zimbabwe participating regularly. We hope that this course might serve as a model for other medical schools looking to establish courses in this burgeoning field.
Keywords:
Interpersonal and Communication Skills; Professionalism; Sweden; Systems-Based Practice; Zimbabwe; curriculum development; global surgery; low- and middle-income countries (LMIC's)
Authors: Tamara N Fitzgerald; Nyagetuba J K Muma; John A Gallis; Grey Reavis; Alvan Ukachukwu; Emily R Smith; Osondu Ogbuoji; Henry E Rice Journal: Ann Glob Health Date: 2021-03-31 Impact factor: 2.462
Authors: Cybil S Stingl; Kyle J Alexander; James M Dittman; Noah J Hillerbrand; Karishma Popli; Amira Dalmazio; Nancy Valencia-Rojas; Aline Baghdassarian; Sudha Jayaraman; Edgar B Rodas Journal: Ann Glob Health Date: 2021-12-22 Impact factor: 2.462