Exploring Behavioral Competencies for Effective Medical Practice in Nigeria

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Professionals
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Clinical performance is influenced by academic, clinical, and behavioral factors.
• Current selection processes often prioritize academic and clinical skills over behavioral competencies.
• Behavioral factors in medical practice can vary significantly across different cultural contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify behavioral competencies crucial for effective medical practice in Nigeria.
• To compare the perspectives of Nigerian medical students and doctors on these competencies with existing literature.
• To inform selection and training processes for healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach combining a scoping review of empirical literature and nominal group technique (NGT) exercises.
• Scoping review identified behavioral attributes from studies conducted in non-African countries.
• NGT involved medical students and physicians to refine and rank competencies relevant to the Nigerian context.

Main Results:

• Scoping review yielded 21 behavioral competencies from international studies.
• NGT exercises identified 32 competencies for medical students and 27 for doctors in Nigeria.
• Key competencies included effective communication and patient-centeredness for doctor-client interactions, and teamwork and respect for doctor-colleague interactions.
• Significant differences were observed between Nigerian perspectives and the international literature, potentially due to cultural factors.

Conclusions:

• This study highlights the importance of context-specific behavioral competencies in medical practice.
• Perspectives on essential behavioral competencies differ between medical students and physicians, and across countries.
• Emphasizes the need for careful selection of subject matter experts and avoiding generalizations of competencies across diverse contexts.
• Recommends future research on assessing behavioral competencies in Nigeria and exploring cross-cultural generalizability.