Exploring gaps, strategies and solutions for primary care research mentorship in the African context: A workshop report

McGuire, Chelsea; Yakubu, Kenneth; Ayisi-Boateng, Nana Kwame; Motlhatlhedi, Keneilwe; Ameh, Pius; Fatusin, Bolatito B; Makwero, Martha; Jenkins, Louis

doi:10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2320

Cited by 7 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(8 reference statements)

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“…The ARC pilot only provided mentorship training during orientation, however, results suggest that providing additional formal mentorship training sessions may have been of benefit. These results affirm calls for a greater focus on dedicated research mentorship training [ 7 37 ]. The curriculum itself was generally well received, however some participants requested more focus on research methodology.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

“…Exposure to research during training could build a foundation for implementing the recommendations above. However, many sub-Saharan African FP training programs have limited available local mentorship and research expertise [ 4 7 ]. Without proper training, mentorship, and sufficient allocated time, the research thesis can become a burdensome obligation that could contribute to already elevated levels of burnout and discourage further research activity [ 4 8 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Implementation of Online Research Training and Mentorship for Sub-Saharan African Family Physicians

McGuire

Fatusin

Kodicherla

et al. 2021

Annals of Global Health

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Background: To improve the delivery and reach of primary health care, a robust scientific foundation driven by research is needed. However, few family physicians conduct research, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Early-career and trainee family physicians are a key part of the primary care research pipeline and have an expressed need for research training and mentorship. Objective: AfriWon Research Collaborative (ARC) was an online research training and mentorship pilot program whose objective was to increase research activity among participants from AfriWon Renaissance, the family physician young doctors’ movement of sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: ARC utilized a 10-module online curriculum, supported by peer and faculty e-mentorship, to guide participants through writing a research protocol. The feasibility, acceptability, and scalability of this program was evaluated via a mixed-methods RE-AIM-guided process evaluation using descriptive statistics and inductive/deductive thematic analysis. Findings: The pilot reached participants from Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone and was adopted by mentors from 11 countries across three continents. Four of the 10 pilot participants completed a full research protocol by the end of the six-month core program. Seven out of the 10 participants, and nine out of the 15 mentors, planned to continue their mentorship relationships beyond the core program. The program helped instill a positive research culture in active participants. Some participants’ and mentors’ engagement with the ARC program was limited by confusion over mentorship structure and role, poor network connectivity, and personal life challenges. Conclusions: Online research training and mentorship for trainee and early-career family physicians in sub-Saharan Africa is feasible and acceptable to participants and mentors. Similar programs must pay careful attention to mentorship training and provide a flexible yet clearly organized structure for mentee-mentor engagement. Additional work is needed to determine optimal implementation strategies and ability to scale.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of Online Research Training and Mentorship for Sub-Saharan African Family Physicians

McGuire

Fatusin

Kodicherla

et al. 2021

Annals of Global Health

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“…The characteristics of included studies are presented in Appendix IV. The included sources were published between 2009 and 2021, 2,5,8,9,16–88 and most (n=57, 74%) were published from 2017 onward. The majority of the papers were from Africa (n=28) 8,17,18,24,33–35,37,41–44,46,48,50,51,53,57,59,61,62,65,66,68,79–81,85 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most studies documented that there were few potential mentors who could support mentees in LMICs. Moreover, those who could mentor were often too busy balancing competing priorities and responsibilities, leaving little time for a mentorship program 8,20,29,33,48,57,58,62,76,77 . In one study, a mentor reported, “The mentors are often very busy and they have other activities and they don’t have the time to do the mentoring very well and the mentees are usually busy but they are also scared so they also try to find an excuse of not going, so that’s the challenge.” 33 (p.6) The small number of available mentors often meant that a single mentor was paired with numerous candidates, thus increasing the mentorship workload 18,37 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lack of funds for mentorship and poor skill in finance management. This review identified that the shortage of funds for research, in general, and mentoring in particular, was a key challenge for mentorship programs 34,37,57,58,77 . Limited institutional capacity in financial management skills was reported, and budgeting for mentorship programs was non-existent even in funded projects 46 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Health research mentorship in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review

Kaba,

Birhanu,

Fernandez Villalobos

et al. 2023

JBI Evidence Synthesis

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Objective: The objective of this scoping review was to explore and synthesize the available literature on health research mentorship in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Introduction: Research mentorship is broadly considered a useful strategy to improve research capacities and research outputs. Existing literature and guidance on research mentorship have focused on high-income countries and assumed resource-rich environments. Despite the successful endeavors to improve health research capacity in LMICs, the strategies that work best under different circumstances are poorly understood. There is a need to map and understand the evidence on health research mentorship in the context of LMICs. Inclusion criteria: Sources that reported existing practices, barriers, and mitigation strategies related to health research mentorship in LMICs were included. Methods: We searched for published and unpublished studies and reports written in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. The search strategy was not limited by search dates and the last search was conducted on January 28, 2022. The databases searched included MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and JBI Evidence Synthesis. We also searched for gray literature in a selection of websites and digital repositories. The JBI scoping review methodology was used. Results: A total of 77 studies and reports were included in the review. The majority of the papers were from Africa (n=28). Others were from Americas (n=7), South East Asia (n=4), East Mediterranean (n=2), and Western Pacific (n=2). The remaining studies were from LMICs that included at least two regional offices. Most of the mentorship projects (n=55) were initiated and funded by institutions from high-income countries. The first authors of 41 papers were primarily affiliated from LMICs. The findings were categorized under a description of research mentorship practices, barriers related to research mentorship, and suggested mitigation strategies. Deliverable-driven training using intensive hands-on mentorship and ongoing peer mentorship programs were some of the non-regular, non-institutionalized approaches used to improve research capacity for junior researchers in LMICs. None of the included papers focused on institutional components of research mentorship in LMICs. The barriers to research mentorship activities in LMICs included lack of clarity on mentorship, cultural variations, unbalanced power dynamics, socio-political influences, language barriers, lack of experienced mentors, and limited local funding. Institutionalizing research mentorship, adapting mentoring methodologies relying on local resources, and addressing and respecting diversity in mentorship programs were among the main strategies identified to effectively implement research mentorship in LMICs. Conclusions: Research mentorship initiatives and practices are limited in LMICs. Few available practices are introduced by researchers and research institutions from high-income countries and yet not institutionalized. The identified existing practices, barriers, and facilitators on health research mentorship could help the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs to institutionalize health research mentorship in LMICs. Review Registration Number: Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/jqa9z/

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Self-directed Learning, Online Mentoring and Online Coaching

Olivier

Trivedi

2021

Radical Solutions for Education in Africa

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Exploring gaps, strategies and solutions for primary care research mentorship in the African context: A workshop report

Cited by 7 publications

References 6 publications

Implementation of Online Research Training and Mentorship for Sub-Saharan African Family Physicians

Implementation of Online Research Training and Mentorship for Sub-Saharan African Family Physicians

Health research mentorship in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review

Self-directed Learning, Online Mentoring and Online Coaching

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