Effective Strategies for Global Health Research, Training and Clinical Care: A Narrative Review

Abstract

The purpose of this narrative review was to synthesize the evidence on effective strategies for global health research, training and clinical care in order to identify common structures that have been used to guide program development. A Medline search from 2001 to 2011 produced 951 articles, which were reviewed and categorized. Thirty articles met criteria to be included in this review. Eleven articles discussed recommendations for research, 8 discussed training and 11 discussed clinical care. Global health program development should be completed within the framework of a larger institutional commitment or partnership. Support from leadership in the university or NGO, and an engaged local community are both integral to success and sustainability of efforts. It is also important for program development to engage local partners from the onset, jointly exploring issues and developing goals and objectives. Evaluation is a recommended way to determine if goals are being met, and should include considerations of sustainability, partnership building, and capacity. Global health research programs should consider details regarding the research process, context of research, partnerships, and community relationships. Training for global health should involve mentorship, pre-departure preparation of students, and elements developed to increase impact. Clinical care programs should focus on collaboration, sustainability, meeting local needs, and appropriate process considerations.

Partnerships for Global Child Health

“…64 Securing buy-in and commitment of highlevel organizational leadership offers the opportunity for the larger institution and network of experts within to commit to the partnership. 81 Partnerships are at risk for failure if leaders are not actively engaged and willing to invest in continued nurturing of trust. Although implementing each principle and practice in every situation is certainly the goal, effective partnerships also depend on wise, shared, and pragmatic leaders to navigate situations in which upholding a principle or practice may appear to infringe on another's principles or practices.…”

Successful Global Health Research Partnerships: What Makes Them Work?

“…1 However, there is limited practical information about what factors specifically lead to a successful global health research partnership. [2][3][4][5] To gain perspective on this issue, we sought the collective wisdom of research colleagues with extensive global health research experience. We asked five global health research colleagues from Uganda, three from Kenya, and six from the United States to list "the top three factors that lead to successful international collaboration, and the top three factors that impede international collaboration, based on your experience."…”

Global health electives: Ethical engagement in building global health capacity

“…I found four reviews that summarize a substantial body of literature describing educational effects of global health electives, strategies for global health training, and gaps in studies of global health education for high-income country (HIC) medical trainees. (Liu et al, 2015;Mutchnick, Moyer, & Stern, 2003;Thompson, Huntington, Hunt, Pinsky, & Brodie, 2003b;Walker, Campbell, & Egede, 2014). These four systematic reviews were a critical review, literature search, systematic search, and narrative review respectively.…”

“…This one-sidedness of perspectives within publications on global health electives is concerning as LMIC host institutions have received VMTs since at least 1968 for international educational rotations. (Waddell, 1976) The narrative review by Walker et al (2014) recommended that global health training experiences should be meaningful, relevant, and ethical to the local community. Ethical engagement, as one of the primary goals of this study, seeks to include or engage all relevant stakeholder perspectives, to promote ethical global health electives through equitable partnerships and shared benefits for all.…”