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FAMILY MEDICINE FACULTY DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A QUALITATIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

ANN EVENSEN, MD 1 ; BICH-MAY NGUYEN, MD, MPH 2 ; BRIAN JOHNSON, MD 3 ; BRUCE DAHLMAN, MD, FAAFP, MSHPE 4 ; CHRISTINE GIBSON, MD, CCFP, DTM&H, MMEDED 5 ; MARIA DEL COLON-GONZALEZ 6 ; MEMOONA HASNAIN, MD, MHPE, PHD 7 ; PATRICK CHEGE 8 ; PAUL LARSON, MS, DTMH 9 ; ROBERTA LAMPTEY, MD 10 ; SAWRA GETNET, MD 11 ; STEPHANIE ONGUKA, MD, MAAFP 4 ; WILLIAM E. CAYLEY JR, MD, MDIV 12
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• Introduction and Objective Universities and hospitals in many Sub-Saharan African nations are beginning Family Medicine training programs. These institutions have had difficulty finding faculty adequately prepared for teaching, curriculum development, and leadership. The objective of this study was to describe the current status of faculty development and determine implications for future faculty development for sub-Saharan African family physicians. • Methods Investigators conducted a cross-sectional qualitative assessment of faculty development needs for Family Medicine programs in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. Semi-structured interviews were held with 37 purposefully selected informants in the field of Family Medicine education. Interviews were transcribed and qualitative data analysis was completed. • Results and Conclusions Data analysis revealed major themes regarding current and future programming. Informants felt that teaching was a skill separate from clinical skills but that leadership often assumed that clinical training was sufficient to become a teacher. Informants reported that faculty development was most likely to be successful when built upon local mentoring and regional and international partnerships. It should be supported at the level of the department, institution, and licensing bodies. The results of this project will inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of new curricula to address the needs of faculty in countries where Family Medicine is emerging. This project will contribute to local and global efforts aimed at strengthening the competencies of Family Medicine faculty. • Disclaimer - Conflicts of interest: None