Short-Term Global Health Education Programs Abroad: Disease Patterns Observed in Haitian Migrant Worker Communities Around La Romana, Dominican Republic

Zhang

et al. 2015

Global Health Action

BackgroundGlobal health has stimulated a lot of students and has attracted the interest of many faculties, thereby initiating the establishment of many academic programs on global health research and education. global health education reflects the increasing attention toward social accountability in medical education.ObjectiveThis study aims to identify gaps in the studies on global health education.DesignA critical literature review of empirical studies was conducted using Boolean search techniques.ResultsA total of 238 articles, including 16 reviews, were identified. There had been a boom in the numbers of studies on global health education since 2010. Four gaps were summarized. First, 94.6% of all studies on global health education were conducted in North American and European countries, of which 65.6% were carried out in the United States, followed by Canada (14.3%) and the United Kingdom (9.2%). Only seven studies (2.9%) were conducted in Asian countries, five (2.1%) in Oceania, and two (0.8%) in South American/Caribbean countries. A total of 154 studies (64.4%) were qualitative studies and 64 studies (26.8%) were quantitative studies. Second, elective courses and training or programs were the most frequently used approach for global health education. Third, there was a gap in the standardization of global health education. Finally, it was mainly targeted at medical students, residents, and doctors. It had not granted the demands for global health education of all students majoring in medicine-related studies.ConclusionsGlobal health education would be a potentially influential tool for achieving health equity, reducing health disparities, and also for future professional careers. It is the time to build and expand education in global health, especially among developing countries. Global health education should be integrated into primary medical education. Interdisciplinary approaches and interprofessional collaboration were recommended. Collaboration and support from developed countries in global health education should be advocated to narrow the gap and to create further mutual benefits.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In terms of training period, the shortest period was 1 week ( 25 , 37 ) and the longest one was 2 years ( 38 ), with the average time slot from 4 to 8 weeks.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gaps in studies of global health education: an empirical literature review

Zhang

et al. 2015

Global Health Action

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

“…This is similar to the findings in the studies by both Ferrara and others and Dainton and others of five locations in Latin America, which found 67-70% attendance of short-term global health clinics by women. 11,12 This difference between male and female attendance could simply be a result of the universal tendency of women to seek health care more than men. 13 However, it could also reflect the inaccessibility of clinic hours for men, as the clinics ran during the working hours of 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Short-Term Global Health Experience: A Cross-Sectional Study of Demographics, Socioeconomic Factors, and Disease Prevalence

Geen

Pumputis

Kochi

et al. 2017

Interest in short-term global health experiences to underserviced populations has grown rapidly in the last few decades. However, there remains very little research on what participants can expect to encounter. At the same time, it has been suggested that in order for physicians and workers to provide safe and effective care, volunteers should have a basic understanding of local culture, health systems, epidemiology, and socioeconomic needs of the community before arriving. Our objective was to add to the limited literature on what short-term global health trips can expect to encounter through a cross-sectional study of patient demographics, socioeconomic markers, and the prevalence of diseases encountered on a short-term medical service trip to Lima, Peru. Descriptive analysis was conducted on clinic data collected from patients living in Pamplona Alta and Pamplona Baja, Lima, Peru, in July 2015. We found that volunteers encountered mainly female patients (70.8%), and that there were significant socioeconomic barriers to care including poverty, poor housing, environmental exposures, and lack of continuity of health care. Analysis of the disease prevalence found a high proportion of acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain in the adult populations (18.8% and 11.4%, respectively), and a high presentation of upper respiratory tract infections (25.4%) and parasites (22.0%) in the pediatric group. These findings can be used by future short-term medical service trips to address potential gaps in care including the organization of weekend clinics to allow access to working men, and the use of patient education and nonpharmacological management of acute and chronic disease.

“…The NGO identified HTN as a common, but often unrecognized and untreated, health problem among batey residents. In addition, there was evidence in the literature that HTN is the primary chronic disease of the batey population (Ferrara et al, 2014). Furthermore, the NGO had concerns about the HTN care that did exist in the bateyes, which was primarily delivered by physician and nurse volunteers on medical mission trips (Miller et al, 2016).…”

Section: Description Of the Jonas Batey Hypertension Programmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Jonas Hypertension Program: An Academic–Community Partnership to Address Hypertension in Four DominicanBateyes

Conley

Enriquez

Cheng

et al. 2018

Hisp Health Care Int

Introduction: Adults living in bateyes (i.e., sugarcane plantation villages) in the Dominican Republic have minimal access to health care services. Hypertension (HTN) is a serious and often unrecognized health problem among batey residents. The Jonas Batey Hypertension Program was built on existing social networks to address the detection and treatment of HTN. Methods: An ongoing community-based participatory research endeavor involves a partnership among three organizations and collaboration with promotoras who engage their batey communities in a mobile HTN screening and treatment program. Adults are screened and, if indicated, are treated with antihypertensive medications. Data collection includes project documentation, participant observation, demographic data, blood pressure (BP) measurements, and pill counts. Results: To date, 243 adults have received HTN treatment in four batey communities. A within-group, as-treated, repeated-measures, pre-/postanalysis showed that among participants who had been receiving antihypertensive treatment for 12 months (n ¼ 70), there was a significant decrease in BP (p < .005). Conclusion: Results of an interim data analysis indicate that the program model has been implemented successfully and is making a positive impact on BP control. Evaluation is ongoing with regard to the long-term HTN-related health outcomes of batey residents. Ensuring program sustainability is an important consideration for the future.