Adopting an ethical approach to global health training: the evolution of the Botswana - University of Pennsylvania partnership.
Global health training opportunities for medical students and residents have proliferated in recent years. These short-term elective rotations allow trainees to learn about global health issues by participating in various aspects of education and health care in resource-limited settings. Recently published consensus-based ethical guidelines have suggested considerations for the design of international electives that address the activities of host and sending sites, visiting students and residents, and sponsors.The authors analyze the value of global health training opportunities for medical students, residents, faculty, host and sending institutions, and other stakeholders from the perspective of the Botswana-University of Pennsylvania Partnership, a program that has provided global health experiences for health care trainees for more than 10 years. Drawing from the Working Group on Ethics Guidelines for Global Health Training framework, they illustrate the ethical and logistical challenges faced by the program's organizers and the solutions that they implemented alongside their host site partners. They conclude with a summary of recommendations to guide implementation of ethically sound international health electives in resource-limited settings.
Dr. Dacso is director, Center for Global Health Education, and assistant professor of internal medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas. He was clinician-educator, Botswana-University of Pennsylvania Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana, in 2009-2011. Dr. Chandra is a specialist in emergency medicine working with the Indian Health Service, South Dakota. He was senior lecturer, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana, in 2010-2012. Dr. Friedman is director, Botswana-University of Pennsylvania Partnership, and professor of medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease Division, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Matthew
M
Dacso
Amit
A
Chandra
Harvey
H
Friedman
D001675:Bioethics; D001902:Botswana; D057191:Capacity Building / Q000941:ethics*; D014943:Global Health / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration; D010414:Pennsylvania; D055818:Public-Private Sector Partnerships / Q000458:organization & administration; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical