Can UK healthcare workers remotely support medical education in the developing world?: Focus group evaluation

Abstract

ObjectivesTo evaluate the feasibility of providing regular, live, text-based teaching to medical students and junior doctors in Somaliland using a dedicated case-based medical education website ().DesignReview of MedicineAfrica database for details of teaching sessions held in Somaliland from December 2008-October 2010 and evaluation of user experiences through focus groups.SettingKing's College Hospital, London, UK and Ahmoud University, Borama, Somaliland.ParticipantsFinal year medical students, newly graduated interns and second year interns at Ahmoud University, Borama, Somaliland.Main outcome measuresQualitative and quantitative user rating of online case-based tutorials in the context of pre-existing educational opportunities available to them.ResultsRegular online teaching sessions are received enthusiastically by students and junior doctors and are reported to improve their clinical practice.ConclusionsDespite technological limitations in Somaliland, a live text-based teaching service can be delivered effectively and streamlined with local curricula. This represents an alternative to traditional static teaching methodologies currently used in international medical education.

Use of a bibliometric literature review to assess medical research capacity in post‐conflict and developing countries: Somaliland 1991–2013

“…After screening for duplicates, the literature search identified a total of 83 articles for assessment. Thirty‐five articles met the eligibility criteria after screening by title and abstract, but four of these were excluded after full text review . The most common reasons for exclusion were as follows: non‐experimental reports ( n = 16), social science and/or health policy studies without study subjects from Somaliland ( n = 13), non‐human or animal studies ( n = 12), and abstracts or letters ( n = 8).…”

London calling Gaza: The role of international collaborations in the globalisation of postgraduate burn care education

“…This is due to lack of resources, geographical isolation, poor infrastructure, movement restrictions, few medical schools, and the unavailability of trainers and faculty owing to the ongoing phenomenon of medical migration. [14][15][16][17][18][19] These factors make it extremely challenging for healthcare professionals to keep abreast of developments in their practice as the means of maintaining continued professional development are non-existent. 7,8 The UK has long expressed a commitment to improve healthcare and establish educational collaborations with low-resource, developing countries.…”

Bidirectional Exchanges of Medical Students Between Institutional Partners in Global Health Clinical Education Programs: Putting Ethical Principles into Practice

“…Finally, we note the value of educational collaboration and the bilateral exchange of ideas in situations where logistics or funding prevents the actual exchange of individuals through GHCEs. This includes efforts like mobile health platforms, 21 joint electronic learning and collaboration platforms, [22][23][24] and simultaneous shared learning activities. 25 Detailed exploration of these approaches is beyond the scope of this article.…”