International medical education and the concept of quality: historical reflections.
After offering reflections on the words "global" and "international," this paper presents examples supporting the observations that physicians have long crossed national boundaries in a quest for learning and that dominant nations have long brought their perceptions of quality to institutions of medicine elsewhere. It then discusses cross-cultural issues in defining quality in medicine and in medical education; although some technical aspects of medicine span national boundaries, medical practice has a large cultural component. Tension is noted between forces favoring international standardization in medicine--for example, the communication revolution and the desire for international control of infectious diseases--and forces favoring variation among cultures.
Stevens
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School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000266:history* / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005060:Europe; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007393:International Educational Exchange; D011786:Quality Control; D012930:Social Dominance; D013672:Technology / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States