Medical knowledge exchange by crosscultural education projects: a practical approach based on a structured qualitative analysis of radiology teaching in Azerbaijan

Abstract

In 2015, the World Health Organization announced its Sustainable Development Goals. This agenda contributes to reducing inequity in healthcare and improving health. In a world with major differences between countries, the following question should be asked: How can healthcare professionals in general (and radiologists in particular) from highincome countries (HIC) and lowand middleincome countries (LMIC) work together to improve global health? The purpose of this paper is to evaluate several recent crosscultural educational efforts in radiology in Azerbaijan and to formulate practical recommendations for radiology education and medical education in general carried out in LMICs by volunteers from HICs. Methods. From a series of four consecutive education projects, we analyzed the evaluation forms of two of the sessions. Furthermore, we evaluated all four education projects by systematic comparison and reflection on 21 items in the categories Background Information, People, and Practice. Results. To all items in the list, a reflection was added that included viewpoints from both visiting and host professionals. The evaluation forms demonstrated that the third education project with practical radiology content was valued higher than the fourth education project on quality management. The participants of both education projects would recommend projects like these to their own colleagues. We formulated recommendations for shortterm crosscultural education projects based on the systematic evaluation, the reflection, and the evaluation forms. Conclusion. This systematic evaluation of serial crosscultural radiology education efforts in Azerbaijan fills a gap in global health research. It is an example of evidencebased crosscultural teaching, and it identified recommendations for future projects. A key finding is the importance of serving the host country’s professionals by carefully assessing their needs. Educational efforts should be seen in the broader context of healthcare development.