Ugandan physician attitudes towards a potential, local trauma fellowship program.

Area of Science:

• Global Surgery
• Trauma Surgery Education
• Low-Income Country Healthcare

Background:

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

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate Ugandan surgeons' and residents' support for a national trauma surgery fellowship program (TFP).
• To identify recommended TFP curriculum components.
• To understand perceived barriers and motivating factors for TFP implementation in Uganda.

Main Methods:

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

Main Results:

• 86% of respondents supported a Ugandan TFP.
• Recommended curriculum elements included emergency general surgery, critical care, and international rotations.
• Major barriers identified were resource deficiencies (82%) and concerns about government support for employment/compensation (66%).
• 93% of faculty believed a TFP would improve patient outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Ugandan clinicians perceive a TFP as vital for improving trauma care outcomes, despite significant implementation challenges.
• Successful TFP implementation requires addressing infrastructural and financial support concerns from national and local institutions.
• Curricular recommendations from local clinicians should guide TFP development.