Letter to the Editor “COVID-19 and Neurosurgical Education in Africa: Making Lemonade from Lemons”

Kanmounye, Ulrick Sidney

doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2020.05.126

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 2 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…There is an opportunity to set up a continental e-learning platform that can help standardize training, encourage collaboration, and widen participation for surgeons who may work relatively remotely or in countries with very small neurosurgical communities. 19 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Continental Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Neurosurgical Training in Africa

et al. 2021

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Background Containment measures for COVID-19 have affected surgical training globally. We sought to assess how neurosurgical training has been affected across Africa in April 2020. Methods A cross-sectional survey was distributed to African Neurosurgical trainees seeking to review demographics and effects of COVID on training. Results A total of 123 neurosurgery trainees responded from 23 African countries and a further 6 were abroad. A total of 91.80% were men, and 96.70% were training in public institutions. Only 41% had received training in COVID-19 with 61.79% worried that they would contract COVID-19 while performing their clinical duties. There was a marked reduction in clinical activities including a median reduction of elective surgery (−80%), clinics (−83%), and emergency surgery (−38.50%). A total of 23.58% of residents did not receive a formal salary, with 50% on less than $1000 USD gross per month. Conclusions This is the first continental survey of neurosurgery trainees in Africa. COVID-19 has significantly affected clinical and learning opportunities. There are concerns of the long-term effects on their training activities for an uncertain period of time during this pandemic. Although there has been a global increase in e-learning, there is need to evaluate if this is accessible to all trainees.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Continental Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Neurosurgical Training in Africa

et al. 2021

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“…Adoption of this pilot by mentors from 11 countries across three continents demonstrates that FP researchers worldwide are willing and able to engage in distance mentorship to support trainees. These findings are especially relevant in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, which is pushing medical and postgraduate education online like never before [ 26 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

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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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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“… 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 Several letters to the editor and research articles have previously enumerated changes in neurosurgical education in North America, Europe, and Africa. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 These data are lacking for Southeast Asian countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of COVID-19 on Neurosurgical Training in Southeast Asia

et al. 2020

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Objective Neurosurgery departments worldwide have been forced to restructure their training programs because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In this study, we describe the impact of COVID-19 on neurosurgical training in Southeast Asia. Methods We conducted an online survey among neurosurgery residents in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand from May 22 to 31, 2020 using Google Forms. The 33-item questionnaire collected data on elective and emergency neurosurgical operations, ongoing learning activities, and health worker safety. Results A total of 298 of 470 neurosurgery residents completed the survey, equivalent to a 63% response rate. The decrease in elective neurosurgical operations in Indonesia and in the Philippines (median, 100% for both) was significantly greater compared with other countries ( P < 0.001). For emergency operations, trainees in Indonesia and Malaysia had a significantly greater reduction in their caseload (median, 80% and 70%, respectively) compared with trainees in Singapore and Thailand (median, 20% and 50%, respectively; P < 0.001). Neurosurgery residents were most concerned about the decrease in their hands-on surgical experience, uncertainty in their career advancement, and occupational safety in the workplace. Most of the residents ( n = 221, 74%) believed that the COVID-19 crisis will have a negative impact on their neurosurgical training overall. Conclusions An effective national strategy to control COVID-19 is crucial to sustain neurosurgical training and to provide essential neurosurgical services. Training programs in Southeast Asia should consider developing online learning modules and setting up simulation laboratories to allow trainees to systematically acquire knowledge and develop practical skills during these challenging times.

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Letter to the Editor “COVID-19 and Neurosurgical Education in Africa: Making Lemonade from Lemons”

Cited by 19 publications

References 2 publications

A Continental Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Neurosurgical Training in Africa

A Continental Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Neurosurgical Training in Africa

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Neurosurgical Training in Southeast Asia

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