scholarly journals Interventions to improve recruitment and retention of physicians in rural and remote Canada: a systematic review

Author(s):  
Claire Lafortune ◽  
Jeffrey Gustafson

Purpose: Rural and remote regions of Canada struggle to attract and retain an adequate healthcare workforce to provide the healthcare needed by their local residents. The purpose of this systematic review is to explore current literature that has analyzed strategies for recruitment and retention of physicians to rural and remote regions in Canada. Methods: Scopus and PubMed were searched for articles. To be included in the review, the titles yielded from the initial search had to be in English and meet one of the inclusion criteria: (1) address rural and/or remote healthcare, (2) focus on medical students or physicians, and (3) discuss recruitment or retention strategies. Titles were excluded that discussed non-OECD countries, or that were not original journal articles. The final sample of articles were analyzed by both reviewers for content and emerging themes. Summary of Results and Conclusion: The initial search yielded a total of 3397 titles for review. After applying criteria described above, 35 articles remained for review. A variety of recruitment and retention themes were identified targeting physicians before, during, and after their medical education. The most effective strategies consistently appear to be those aimed before medical education, specifically admitting medical students who have a rural background. This review aims to provide a summary of the currently available research to assist with evidence-based decision making to increase supply and retention of rural physicians.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahira Noor Fathiyya ◽  
Muhammad Reza Utama ◽  
Yelvi Levani ◽  
Yuli Wahyu Rahmawati

BACKGROUND Before COVID-19, it was recommended that medical education be conducted using the blended learning method in order to achieve an effective learning experience. However, it seems that distance learning is currently the best alternative to the previous learning method. Clinical skills lab activities, which are one of the learning methods in medical education, must adapt because they cannot be administered in-person. Social media has been proven giving a potential to supplement formal medical education for undergraduate student. OBJECTIVE This systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of media social use as a supplement for clinical skills lab learning on undergraduate medical students in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We designed a protocol for creating a systematic review on the effectiveness of social media as a supplement media in clinical skills lab learning for undergraduate medical students in LMIC during COVID-19. We will be extracting information from appropriate sources online obtained from journal websites’ databases guided by the PRISMA-S checklist in accordance with the research problem. The included sources include randomized controlled trials, systematic review, and meta-analysis published between 2020-2021. RESULTS This manuscript is still a protocol and has not been implemented. CONCLUSIONS In this systematic review, we will discuss the effectiveness of social media as a clinical skills lab learning for undergraduate medical students in LMIC during the COVID-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahil Kaini ◽  
Lucinda Zahrah Motie

UNSTRUCTURED COVID-19 has changed the landscape of medical education and it has brought virtual teaching to the forefront. As fifth year medical students studying at University College London (UCL), we understand the importance of virtual teaching in medical education and therefore we commend Wilcha for carrying out a systematic review to analyse its strengths and weaknesses. However, we would like to discuss a criticism we have of the literature search that was conducted. We believe the key terms used were too narrow. Subsequently, this has limited the amount of literature which was reviewed, the content of the review and the reliability of the studies used.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 272-280
Author(s):  
Elise Pauline Skjevik ◽  
J. Donald Boudreau ◽  
Unni Ringberg ◽  
Edvin Schei ◽  
Terese Stenfors ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Mentoring has become a prevalent educational strategy in medical education, with various aims. Published reviews of mentoring report very little on group-based mentorship programs. The aim of this systematic review was to identify group-based mentorship programs for undergraduate medical students and describe their aims, structures, contents and program evaluations. Based on the findings of this review, the authors provide recommendations for the organization and assessment of such programs. Methods A systematic review was conducted, according to PRISMA guidelines, and using the databases Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and ERIC up to July 2019. Eight hundred abstracts were retrieved and 20 studies included. Quality assessment of the quantitative studies was done using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI). Results The 20 included studies describe 17 different group mentorship programs for undergraduate medical students in seven countries. The programs were differently structured and used a variety of methods to achieve aims related to professional development and evaluation approaches. Most of the studies used a single-group cross-sectional design conducted at a single institution. Despite the modest quality, the evaluation data are remarkably supportive of mentoring medical students in groups. Discussion Group mentoring holds great potential for undergraduate medical education. However, the scientific literature on this genre is sparse. The findings indicate that group mentorship programs benefit from being longitudinal and mandatory. Ideally, they should provide opportunities throughout undergraduate medical education for regular meetings where discussions and personal reflection occur in a supportive environment.


Author(s):  
Heewon Lee ◽  
Asayeon Choi ◽  
Yongjun Jang ◽  
Jong In Lee

Abstract Aim To analyze the use of YouTube videos as educational tools for four physical examinations of the shoulder: the Neer, Hawkins, empty can, and drop arm tests. Background Video-based education, which is accompanied by text-based education, can be an effective education method, especially in learning medical skills. Medical students and doctors in training often use YouTube videos to share medical education materials, and more systematic review of the reliability of these videos is required. Methods A search of YouTube was conducted using four keywords: ‘Neer test,’ ‘Hawkins test,’ ‘empty can test,’ and ‘drop arm test.’ Two physicians reviewed each video and recorded a variety of characteristics (date uploaded, number of views, likes and dislikes, and upload source). In addition, they scored and categorized the videos into four groups: ‘very useful,’ ‘somewhat useful,’ ‘not useful,’ and ‘misleading.’ Videos containing inappropriate content were classified as ‘misleading.’ Finally, the correlations of each video’s usefulness with viewers’ preferences and the upload source were analyzed. Results A total of 400 videos were assessed and 200 videos were adopted which yield eligible criteria. Out of 200 videos, 51 videos were very useful and 32 were misleading. Significant correlations were observed between the video’s usefulness and the uploaded source, as well as between the video’s usefulness and viewers’ preferences, such as the number of views, views per day, and number of likes. The proportion of videos classified as ‘very useful’ was highest (58.6%) among those uploaded by physicians and lowest (12.7%) among those uploaded by individuals. Videos uploaded by individuals had significantly lower values reflecting viewer preferences than did videos uploaded by physicians. Conclusion YouTube videos could be used as learning sources for shoulder physical examinations after the application of appropriate filtering processes, such as review of the upload source and viewers’ preferences.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-65
Author(s):  
Noor-i-Kiran Naeem ◽  
Rehan Ahmed Khan ◽  
Haris Iqbal

ABSTRACT Background: This review is aimed to find out how WhatsApp® has been integrated into medical education. A systematic review of the current literature was performed, links to prior reviews were drawn and implications for the future were discussed. Methods: Three databases (PubMed, ERIC and Science Direct) were searched after defining the inclusion criteria. Key information from the articles was methodically abstracted and discussed in the categories research type, study design, participants' level of medical education and study content along with the use of WhatsApp® in Medical education and its perceived advantages and disadvantages. Results: Fourteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Results showed that 40-76% of medical students had a WhatsApp® account out of which 30- 60% used WhatsApp® for educational purposes. WhatsApp® was used to communicate with fellow students and faculty, share information online and participate in discussions groups. Conclusion: WhatsApp® influences a myriad of aspects of medical education at the undergraduate and graduate level. Despite an increase in the use of WhatsApp® in medical education, there is a lack of conclusive evidence in terms of its educational effectiveness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-80
Author(s):  
Kiran Regmi ◽  
Kapil Amgain

 The constitution of Nepal (2015), article 35 (Right relating to health) stated that every citizen shall have the right to free basic health services from the State, and no one shall be deprived of emergency health services. According to the World Bank report (collection of development indicators compiled from various official sources, 2016), Nepal has 81% rural and remote populations. Health service delivery is a complex reality for the rural and remote populations and faces enormous challenges. One of them is insufficient and uneven distribution of health workforce. The World Health Report concluded that "the severity of the health workforce crisis is in some of the world's poorest countries, of which 6 are in South East Asia out of 57 countries having critical shortages of health workforce."1Even after 13 years situation has not much improved. Nepal faces a critical shortage of trained health workforce, especially in rural and remote areas. Health workforce recruitment and retention in rural and remote areas is a difficult task challenged by the preferences and migration of health workforce to urban areas in country, or even abroad for better life and professional development.2 One of the most effective strategies for health workforce recruitment and retention for rural and remote areas could be that of establishing and maintaining Medical Education in rural and remote areas decentralized from urban academic medical centers.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e047004
Author(s):  
Zain Hussain ◽  
Dominic Mark Ng ◽  
Nouf Alnafisee ◽  
Zakariya Sheikh ◽  
Nathan Ng ◽  
...  

IntroductionVirtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are increasingly being used in undergraduate medical education. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of VR and AR technologies for improving knowledge and skills in medical students.Methods and analysisUsing Best Evidence in Medical Education (BEME) collaboration guidelines, we will search MEDLINE (via PubMed), Education Resources Information Center, PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for English-language records, from January 1990 to March 2021. Randomised trials that studied the use of VR or AR devices for teaching medical students will be included. Studies that assessed other healthcare professionals, or did not have a comparator group, will be excluded. The primary outcome measures relate to medical students’ knowledge and clinical skills. Two reviewers will independently screen studies and assess eligibility based on our prespecified eligibility criteria, and then extract data from each eligible study using a modified BEME coding form. Any disagreements will be resolved by discussion or, if necessary, the involvement of a third reviewer. The BEME Quality Indicators checklist and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool will be used to assess the quality of the body of evidence. Where data are of sufficient homogeneity, a meta-analysis using a random-effects model will be conducted. Otherwise, a narrative synthesis approach will be taken and studies will be evaluated based on Kirkpatrick’s levels of educational outcomes and the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis guidelines.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required for this systematic review as no primary data are being collected. We will disseminate the findings of this review through scientific conferences and through publication in a peer-reviewed journal.


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