title: Feasibility and sustainability of an interactive team-based learning method for medical education during a severe faculty shortage in Zimbabwe.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2010, in the midst of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in Zimbabwe, 69% of faculty positions in the Department of Medicine of the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences (UZ-CHS) were vacant. To address the ongoing need to train highly skilled HIV clinicians with only a limited number of faculty, we developed and implemented a course for final-year medical students focused on HIV care using team-based learning (TBL) methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  A competency-based HIV curriculum was developed and delivered to final-year medical students in 10 TBL sessions as part of a 12 week clinical medicine attachment. A questionnaire was administered to the students after completion of the course to assess their perception of TBL and self-perceived knowledge gained in HIV care. Two cohorts of students completed the survey in separate academic years, 2011 and 2012. Descriptive analysis of survey results was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-six of 120 students (80%) completed surveys. One hundred percent of respondents agreed that TBL was an effective way to learn about HIV and 66% strongly agreed. The majority of respondents agreed that TBL was more stimulating than a lecture course (94%), fostered enthusiasm for the course material (91%), and improved teamwork (96%). Students perceived improvements in knowledge gained across all of the HIV subjects covered, especially in challenging applied clinical topics, such as management of HIV antiretroviral failure (88% with at least a "large improvement") and HIV-tuberculosis co-infection (80% with at least a "large improvement").
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TBL is feasible as part of medical education in an African setting. TBL is a promising way to teach challenging clinical topics in a stimulating and interactive learning environment in a low-income country setting with a high ratio of students to teachers.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Golden T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Fana
authors.forename: Thomas B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Hakim
authors.forename: Margaret Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Borok
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 E 17th Ave Campus Box B178, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. eva.aagaard@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Aagaard
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D003625:Data Collection; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006126:Group Processes; D015658:HIV Infections; D006801:Humans; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000458:organization & administration; D012576:Schools, Health Occupations; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology; D000078329:Workforce; D015030:Zimbabwe