Medical electives in sub-Saharan Africa: a host perspective

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Medical Education
• International Health

Background:

• Medical electives are a common part of Western medical curricula, with thousands of UK students undertaking them in developing countries annually.
• The impact of these electives is debated, yet host perspectives are underrepresented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the organization, outcomes, and impacts of medical electives in sub-Saharan Africa from the perspective of elective hosts.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of 14 semi-structured interviews with elective hosts across seven sites in Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania.
• Framework analysis applied to 483 minutes of audio-recorded data.

Main Results:

• Hosts are committed to electives, motivated by fostering global health understanding and potential future staff recruitment.
• Supervision quality is viewed within the local context; ethical and safety concerns were not primary issues for hosts.
• Training local students sometimes took precedence in under-resourced settings; improved student preparation and institutional support are recommended.

Conclusions:

• There is significant potential to enhance medical electives from the host perspective.
• Host institutions alone lack the capacity to implement necessary improvements; collaboration with sending institutions is crucial.