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Conceptualizing Medical Humanities Programs in Low-Resource Settings in Africa
Quentin Eichbaum1, Steve Reid, Ayo Coly
1Q. Eichbaum is professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology; professor of medical education and administration; director, Vanderbilt Pathology Education Research Group; director, Vanderbilt Pathology Program in Global Health; director, College Colloquium; and clinical fellowship director, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. S. Reid is professor of primary health care and director, Primary Health Care Directorate, University of Cape Town Medical School, Cape Town, South Africa. A. Coly is associate professor of comparative literature and associate professor of African and African American studies, Department of African and African American Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. T. Naidu is lecturer, Department of Behavioral Medicine, Nelson R. Mandela University School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. F. Omaswa is chancellor, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
Medical humanities education is underrepresented in low-resource countries. This article advocates for integrating humanities into African medical curricula, addressing challenges and proposing content domains for physician development.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Humanities in Medicine
- Global Health Education
Background:
- Medical humanities are debated in high-income countries but neglected in low- and middle-income countries.
- Inadequate resources and misapprehension hinder medical humanities in under-resourced settings.
- Sociohistorical contexts, including colonization, shape the need for humanities in African medical education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To argue for the vital role of medical humanities in African medical education.
- To contextualize humanities programs within Africa's sociohistorical landscape.
- To propose solutions for implementing medical humanities in resource-limited African medical schools.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and contextual analysis of sociohistorical legacies.
- Identification and discussion of challenges as four specific conundrums.
- Proposal of four nonprescriptive content domains for curriculum development.
Main Results:
- Humanities are essential for addressing the complexities of African medical education.
- Four key challenges (conundrums) hinder program implementation.
- Four content domains offer a framework for establishing medical humanities programs.
Conclusions:
- Integrating medical humanities is crucial for enhancing physician education and professional development in Africa.
- Addressing resource limitations and contextualizing programs are key to successful implementation.
- Fostering discussion on contextually congruent humanities programs is vital for African medical schools.
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