title: Medical student knowledge of global health problems: obstetric fistulas in developing countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate medical students in the United States at several medical schools regarding their knowledge of the global health burden of obstetric fistulas.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 8 schools across the United States over a period of 6 months. The survey was composed of 18 questions on epidemiology, pathology, and treatment of fistulas. It was a web-based module accessed through an emailed link. It was sent to 5,103 medical students' email addresses at the 8 institutions once a week for 4 weeks. SPSS paired student t tests was used for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 1,089 students from 8 medical schools that initially began the survey, 965 completed this voluntary and anonymous survey, with a 21% response rate and 19% completion rate. Overall the students averaged 11/18 (60.7%) correct on this survey. The knowledge of obstetric fistula improved, but not significantly, with increasing level of medical school education, with first-year medical students achieving 10/18 (55%) correct and senior medical students achieving 12/18 (67%) correct (p = 0.1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  U.S. medical students' knowledge of obstetric fistulas in developing countries does not increase significantly over 4 years of medical school education. While this condition presents largely in the developing world, given rapid globalization as well as increased international health experiences for U.S.-trained health professionals,further effort should be placed in improving medical student knowledge of this devastating condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME 04102, USA. foustc@mmc.org
authors.forename: Caroline E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Foust-Wright
authors.forename: S Abbas
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shobeiri
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Curry
authors.forename: Lieschen H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Quiroz
authors.forename: Mikio A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nihira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D012006:Rectovaginal Fistula / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014719:Vesicovaginal Fistula / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult