Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
BMJ Open. 2021 Mar 23;11(3):e041599. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041599.
To assess the experience and impact of medical volunteers who facilitated training workshops for healthcare providers in maternal and newborn emergency care in 13 countries.
Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, UK and Zimbabwe.
Medical volunteers from the UK (n=162) and from low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC) (n=138).
Expectations, experience, views, personal and professional impact of the experience of volunteering on medical volunteers based in the UK and in LMIC.
UK-based medical volunteers (n=38) were interviewed using focus group discussions (n=12) and key informant interviews (n=26). 262 volunteers (UK-based n=124 (47.3%), and LMIC-based n=138 (52.7%)) responded to the online survey (62% response rate), covering 506 volunteering episodes. UK-based medical volunteers were motivated by altruism, and perceived volunteering as a valuable opportunity to develop their skills in leadership, teaching and communication, skills reported to be transferable to their home workplace. Medical volunteers based in the UK and in LMIC (n=244) reported increased confidence (98%, n=239); improved teamwork (95%, n=232); strengthened leadership skills (90%, n=220); and reported that volunteering had a positive impact for the host country (96%, n=234) and healthcare providers trained (99%, n=241); formed sustainable partnerships (97%, n=237); promoted multidisciplinary team working (98%, n=239); and was a good use of resources (98%, n=239). Medical volunteers based in LMIC reported higher satisfaction scores than those from the UK with regards to impact on personal and professional development.
Healthcare providers from the UK and LMIC are highly motivated to volunteer to increase local healthcare providers' knowledge and skills in low-resource settings. Further research is necessary to understand the experiences of local partners and communities regarding how the impact of international medical volunteering can be mutually beneficial and sustainable with measurable outcomes.
评估在 13 个国家为医疗保健提供者举办孕产妇和新生儿急救培训讲习班的医学志愿者的经验和影响。
孟加拉国、加纳、印度、肯尼亚、马拉维、纳米比亚、尼日利亚、巴基斯坦、塞拉利昂、南非、坦桑尼亚、英国和津巴布韦。
来自英国的医学志愿者（n=162）和来自低收入和中等收入国家的医学志愿者（n=138）。
基于英国和中低收入国家的志愿者对志愿工作的经验的期望、经历、观点、个人和专业影响。
对 38 名驻英医学志愿者（n=38）进行了焦点小组讨论（n=12）和关键知情人访谈（n=26）。262 名志愿者（驻英志愿者 n=124（47.3%），中低收入国家志愿者 n=138（52.7%））对在线调查做出了回应（62%的回应率），涵盖了 506 次志愿服务经历。驻英医学志愿者的动机是利他主义，他们认为志愿服务是一个宝贵的机会，可以发展他们在领导力、教学和沟通方面的技能，这些技能据报道可以转移到他们的家乡工作场所。来自英国和中低收入国家的医学志愿者（n=244）报告说，他们的信心增强了（98%，n=239）；团队合作得到改善（95%，n=232）；领导力得到加强（90%，n=220）；并报告说，志愿服务对东道国（96%，n=234）和培训的医疗保健提供者（99%，n=241）产生了积极影响；建立了可持续的伙伴关系（97%，n=237）；促进了多学科团队合作（98%，n=239）；并充分利用了资源（98%，n=239）。来自中低收入国家的医学志愿者在个人和专业发展方面的满意度评分高于来自英国的医学志愿者。
来自英国和中低收入国家的医疗保健提供者非常有动力自愿到资源匮乏的环境中提高当地医疗保健提供者的知识和技能。需要进一步研究如何使国际医疗志愿服务的影响互惠互利和可持续，并产生可衡量的结果，以了解当地合作伙伴和社区的经验。
