A. D. McDow1, S. O. Salman2, K. L. Long1 1University Of Wisconsin School Of Medicine And Public Health,Department Of Surgery,Madison, WISCONSIN, USA 2University Of Florida-Jacksonville,Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery,Jacksonville, FLORIDA, USA
Introduction:
Short-term surgical mission trips are often criticized due to lack of sustainability and lasting relationship formation with local providers. As global surgical capability increases, focus has begun to shift from offloading of disease burden to education of local providers. We sought to assess the educational goals of local surgeons in the Palestinian Territories (PT), and compare these to goals and intentions of visiting volunteer surgeons.
Methods:
Electronic surveys were sent to a variety of Palestinian surgical providers who have worked with volunteer surgeons from the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). These surveys were then compared with previously collected data from evaluations filled out by volunteer PCRF mission surgeons from North America, Europe, and South America. All surveys and evaluations were completed voluntarily.
Results:
Fifty two percent (12/23) of Palestinian providers responded to the survey. All but one provider indicated that they would prefer protected time in each mission trip for formal didactic lectures or teaching. Ninety-one percent felt they were best able to learn new techniques by performing skills on patients with expert surgeons observing and providing live feedback. All surveyed requested more than one trip from the same visiting surgeon, feeling it would help advance their skills. The majority of respondents felt that adding either case reviews prior to the operating room (6/12) or a debriefing session after completion of surgical cases (4/12) would be most desirable.
Data from 41 volunteer mission surgeons was also available, and although retrospective, indicates that 86% of prior mission trips involved training for local providers. The most common positive feedback from volunteer surgeons related to teamwork and teaching of the local providers. Volunteer surgeons felt that the absence of pre-screening data of patients and lack of knowledge about the facility capabilities hindered their overall success at times. Despite this, 100% of volunteer physicians who completed the PCRF survey indicated they would volunteer with the organization again in the future.
Conclusion:
Surgical education is a vital component to any successful outreach program. Adult learning theory has long emphasized the necessity of understanding the specific educational needs of participants in order to foster the most successful learning environment. This survey highlights the value of tailoring surgical specialty outreach to the explicit needs of both local providers and local patient populations. Additionally, this survey clearly demonstrates the importance of protected non-clinical time for formal educational components as a critical focus of future surgical humanitarian endeavors.