title: Accreditation of undergraduate medical training programs: practices in nine developing countries as compared with the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Undergraduate medical training program accreditation is practiced in many countries, but information from developing countries is sparse. We compared medical training program accreditation systems in nine developing countries, and compared these with accreditation practices in the United States of America (USA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical program accreditation practices in nine developing countries were systematically analyzed using all available published documents. Findings were compared to USA accreditation practices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Accreditation systems with explicitly defined criteria, standards and procedures exist in all nine countries studied: Argentina, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines and South Africa. Introduction of accreditation processes is relatively recent, starting in 1957 in India to 2001 in Malaysia. Accrediting agencies were set up in these countries predominantly by their respective governments as a result of legislation and acts of Parliament, involving Ministries of Education and Health. As in the USA, accreditation: (1) serves as a quality assurance mechanism promoting professional and public confidence in the quality of medical education, (2) assists medical schools in attaining desired standards, and (3) ensures that graduates' performance complies with national norms. All nine countries follow similar accreditation procedures. Where mandatory accreditation is practiced, non-compliant institutions may be placed on probation, student enrollment suspended or accreditation withdrawn.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accreditation systems in several developing countries are similar to those in the developed world. Data suggest the trend towards instituting quality assurance mechanisms in medical education is spreading to some developing countries, although generalization to other areas of the world is difficult to ascertain.
authors.affiliation: De La Salle University College of Medicine, Dasmarinas, Cavite, Philippines.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cueto
authors.forename: Vanessa C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Burch
authors.forename: Nor Azila Mohd
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Adnan
authors.forename: Bosede B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Afolabi
authors.forename: Zalina
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: Wasim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jafri
authors.forename: E Oluwabunmi
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Olapade-Olaopa
authors.forename: Boaz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Otieno-Nyunya
authors.forename: Avinash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Supe
authors.forename: Altantsetseg
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Togoo
authors.forename: Ana Lia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wasserman
authors.forename: Page S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Morahan
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Burdick
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gary
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation; D003906:Developing Countries; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States