Ugandan Physician Attitudes towards a Potential, Local Trauma Fellowship Program.

Area of Science:

• Global surgery
• Surgical education
• Trauma systems

Background:

• Context-specific trauma surgery fellowship programs (TFPs) can decrease injury-related mortality in low-income countries.
• Local clinician buy-in is essential for the successful implementation of TFPs.
• This study assessed Ugandan clinician support for a TFP, examining perceived needs, curriculum, barriers, and motivators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the support for a trauma surgery fellowship program (TFP) among Ugandan clinicians.
• To identify essential curricular components and barriers to TFP implementation in Uganda.
• To understand clinician perspectives on the impact of a TFP on patient outcomes and surgical training.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey of 46 faculty and 42 surgical residents at a Ugandan tertiary referral hospital.
• Inclusion of cognitive interviews and pilot testing for questionnaire validation.
• Quantitative analysis of multiple-choice responses and thematic analysis of free-text responses.

Main Results:

• 86% of respondents supported a Ugandan TFP, with strong recommendations for emergency general surgery, critical care, and international rotations.
• Major barriers identified include severe resource deficiencies (82%) and concerns about governmental employment and compensation support (66%).
• A TFP was perceived to improve patient outcomes (93%), trainee education (77%), and clinical efficiency (68%).

Conclusions:

• Ugandan clinicians recognize TFPs as vital for improving trauma care outcomes, despite existing challenges.
• Successful TFP implementation requires integrating recommended curriculum elements.
• Addressing infrastructural and financial support concerns from national and local government is critical for TFP success.