Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, 3706 Peel St, H3A 1W9, Montreal, QC, Canada.
School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
BMC Med Educ. 2023 Mar 16;23(1):166. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04116-4.
This study assesses the impact of the Interprofessional Global Health Course (IPGHC) on students' fundamental global health knowledge and personal viewpoints on global health domains. It explores the evolution of students' understanding of global health specifically in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ninety-nine students were selected from 123 McGill student applicants based on their motivation and commitment to take part in IPGHC's ten-week 2020 curriculum. These IPGHC students were eligible to participate in the study. The study's design is sequential explanatory mixed methods. The cross-sectional survey (quantitative phase) appraises students' global health learning outcomes using pre- and post-course surveys, with the use of 5-point Likert-scale questions. The descriptive qualitative survey (qualitative phase) further explores the impact of IPGHC on student's understanding of global health and the reflections of students on the COVID-19 pandemic after IPGHC. The post-course survey included a course evaluation for quality improvement purposes.
Of the 99 students, 81 students across multiple undergraduate and graduate disciplines participated in the study by completing the course surveys. Mean knowledge scores of the following 11 global health topics were increased between pre- and post-course survey: Canadian Indigenous health (P < 0.001), global burden of disease (P < 0.001), global surgery (P < 0.001), infectious diseases and neglected tropical diseases (P < 0.001), refugee and immigrant health (P < 0.001), research and development of drugs (P < 0.001), role of politics and policies in global health (P = 0.02), role of technology in global health (P < 0.001), sexual violence (P < 0.001), systemic racism in healthcare (P = 0.03), and trauma in the global health context (P < 0.001). A positive change in student viewpoints was observed in response to questions regarding their perception of the importance of global health education in their own professional health care programs (P < 0.001), and their understanding of the roles and responsibilities of other healthcare professionals (P < 0.001). In the post-course survey open-ended questions, students exemplified their knowledge gained during the course to create a more informed definition of global health. Several recurring themes were identified in the student reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic, notably policy and politics, followed by access to healthcare and resources.
This study emphasizes the need for interprofessional global health education at the university level and demonstrates how rapidly global health learners can apply their knowledge to evolving contexts like the COVID-19 pandemic.
本研究评估了跨专业全球健康课程（IPGHC）对学生全球健康基础知识和对全球健康领域个人观点的影响。它探讨了学生对全球健康的理解的演变，特别是与 COVID-19 大流行有关的理解。
从 123 名麦吉尔学生申请者中选择了 99 名学生，根据他们参与 IPGHC 为期 10 周的 2020 课程的动机和承诺。这些 IPGHC 学生有资格参与这项研究。该研究的设计是顺序解释性混合方法。横断面调查（定量阶段）使用预课程和后课程调查评估学生的全球健康学习成果，使用 5 点李克特量表问题。描述性定性调查（定性阶段）进一步探讨了 IPGHC 对学生对全球健康的理解的影响，以及学生在 IPGHC 后对 COVID-19 大流行的思考。课后调查包括课程评估，以改善课程质量。
在 99 名学生中，来自多个本科和研究生专业的 81 名学生通过完成课程调查参与了研究。以下 11 个全球健康主题的知识得分在课前和课后调查之间有所增加：加拿大原住民健康（P<0.001）、全球疾病负担（P<0.001）、全球外科手术（P<0.001）、传染病和被忽视的热带病（P<0.001）、难民和移民健康（P<0.001）、药物研发（P<0.001）、政治和政策在全球健康中的作用（P=0.02）、技术在全球健康中的作用（P<0.001）、性暴力（P<0.001）、医疗保健中的系统性种族主义（P=0.03）和全球健康背景下的创伤（P<0.001）。学生对以下问题的看法发生了积极变化：他们认为全球健康教育在自己的专业医疗保健项目中的重要性（P<0.001），以及他们对其他医疗保健专业人员的角色和责任的理解（P<0.001）。在课后调查的开放性问题中，学生举例说明了他们在课程中获得的知识，从而对全球健康有了更深入的了解。在学生对 COVID-19 大流行的反思中，确定了几个反复出现的主题，特别是政策和政治，其次是获得医疗保健和资源。
本研究强调了大学层面开展跨专业全球健康教育的必要性，并展示了全球健康学习者如何能够将他们的知识迅速应用于 COVID-19 等不断变化的背景。
