Twelve tips for distributed health professions training

Abstract

Increasing numbers of health professions students are being trained in healthcare facilities that are geographically removed from central academic hospitals. Consequently, studies have evaluated this distributed training, assessed the impact that it has on student learning as well as on the facilities where the training occurs, and explored factors that enable and constrain successful clinical training at such sites. The 12 tips presented in this article have been developed from a longitudinal project that has focused on developing a framework for effective distributed health professions training through an extensive review of the literature and a national consultative process. These 12 tips should, therefore, have applicability across multiple contexts. The purpose of this article is to assist people in implementing, adapting, upscaling, maintaining, and evaluating the distributed training of students in the health professions.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Acknowledgements

This work was done in SUCCEED, funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under GH15-1574, South African University-based Technical Assistance Aimed at Improving the quality of HIV/AIDS and related services in the Republic of South Africa under PEPFAR. Dr Glenda Eoyang, Executive Director Human Systems Dynamics, is thanked for her assistance in organising the enabling factors from which these 12 tips have been developed.

Notes

1 http://saahe.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/SAAHE-2017-Consensus-statement-DCT-adopted.pdf

2 In the early stages of the project, the term decentralized was used. However, over the course of the project, it became evident, from our engagement both with the literature as well as with the many different stakeholders who participated in the consultation process, that distributed would serve as a more appropriate term.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susan van Schalkwyk

Susan van Schalkwyk BA(Hons), M Phil, PhD is a Professor in Health Professions Education and Director of the Centre for Health Professions Education at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University.

Ian Couper

Ian Couper BA, MBChB, MFamMed, FCFP(SA) is a Director of the Centre for Rural Health and Professor of Rural health in the Centre for Health Professions Education, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University.

Julia Blitz

Julia Blitz B Sc, MBBCh, M Prax Med, FCFP(SA) is a Vice-Dean: Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University.

Athol Kent

Athol Kent MBChB, M Phil, FRCOG, FRCOG(SA) is an Emeritus Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Cape Town and advisor to the Stellenbosch University Collaborative Capacity Enhancement through Engagement with Districts (SUCCEED).

Marietjie de Villiers

Marietjie de Villiers MBChB, MFamMed, FCFP(SA), PhD is a Professor in Family Medicine and the Principal Investigator of Stellenbosch University Collaborative Capacity Enhancement through Engagement with Districts (SUCCEED).