Overcoming challenges to develop pediatric postgraduate training programs in low- and middle-income countries
Lakshmi Ganapathi1, Yolanda Martins, David Schumann
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Education for Health (Abingdon, England)
|March 12, 2015
Summary
Establishing new pediatric residency programs in low-income countries faces challenges in faculty development, subspecialty training, applicant pipelines, and funding. Lessons learned can guide future program development and sustainability.
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Medical Education
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Growing need for postgraduate medical education in low-income countries.
- Limited existing pediatric training opportunities in these regions.
- Focus on developing new pediatric training programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand the development of postgraduate pediatric training programs in resource-limited settings.
- To describe and compare newly established programs.
- To identify challenges and solutions for program establishment and sustainability.
Main Methods:
- Identified four new pediatric training programs in low-income countries via email lists and US-accredited programs.
- Utilized a questionnaire with quantitative and qualitative components.
- Analyzed qualitative responses for thematic insights.
Main Results:
- Four programs in Kenya, Laos, Eritrea, and Cambodia were studied.
- Key challenges included faculty development/retention, subspecialty training, applicant/graduate pipelines, and funding.
- A logic model was developed to guide program planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Conclusions:
- Compares four successful postgraduate general pediatric training programs in low-income countries.
- Provides practical lessons for establishing and sustaining similar programs.
- Offers guidance for future research and practice in global pediatric medical education.
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