State of African neurosurgical education: An analysis of publicly available curricula

Dada, Olaoluwa Ezekiel, Bukenya, George William, Konan, Landry, Mbangtang, Celestin Bilong, Ooi, Setthasorn Zhi Yang, Makambo, Paix de Dieu Ngo, Adrien, Tangmi Djabo Eric, Kenfack, Yves Jordan, Senyuy, Wah Praise, Abu-Bonsrah, Nancy, Karekezi, Claire, Jokonya, Luxwell, Alalade, Andrew F., Esene, Ignatius and Kanmounye, Ulrick Sidney 2022. State of African neurosurgical education: An analysis of publicly available curricula. World Neurosurgery 166 , e808-e814. 10.1016/j.wneu.2022.07.106

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Abstract

Introduction Africa bears more than 15% of the global burden of neurosurgical disease; however, it has the lowest neurosurgical workforce density worldwide. The past decade has seen an increase in neurosurgery residency programs on the continent. It is unclear how these residency programs are similar or viable. This study highlights the current status, interdepartmental and regional differences, with the main objective of offering a template for improving the provision of neurosurgical education on the continent. Method PubMed and Google Scholar were searched using keywords related to “neurosurgery,” “training,” and “Africa” from database inception to 10/13/2021. The residency curricula were analyzed using a standardized and validated medical education curriculum viability tool. Results Curricula from 14 African countries were identified. The curricula differed in resident recruitment, evaluation mode and frequency, curriculum content, and length of training. The length of training varied from four to eight years with a mean of six years. The Eastern African region had the highest number of examinations, with a mean of 8.5. Few curricula had correlates of viability - ensuring that the instructors are competent (64.3%), prioritization of faculty development (64.3%), faculty participation in decision making (64.3%), prioritization of resident support services (50%), creating a conducive environment for quality education (42.9%), and addressing student complaints (28.6%). Conclusion There are significant differences in the African postgraduate neurosurgical education curriculum warranting standardization. This study has identified areas of improvement for neurosurgical education in Africa.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	1878-8750
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 August 2022
Date of Acceptance:	23 July 2022
Last Modified:	06 Jan 2024 17:24
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/151682

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