COVID-19 and medical education in Africa: a cross sectional analysis of the impact on medical students

BMC Medical Education

Bereket Alemayehu Admasu¹  Dawit Tesfagiorgis Mengesha¹  Amani Nureddin Abdu¹  Alec Bernard²  Nicole Byl²  Elizabeth Holman²  Gnendy Indig² 

[1] St.Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, 1271 Swaziland Street, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;University of Michigan Medical School, 48103, Ann Arbor, MI, USA;

关键词: COVID-19;    Pandemic;    Africa;    Health disparities;    Medical education;    Medical students;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12909-021-03038-3

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe African continent currently experiences 25% of the global burden of disease with only 1.3% of the world’s healthcare workers. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption to medical education systems, increasing the strain on already-vulnerable regions. Our study examines the impact of COVID-19 on medical students across 33 countries in the African continent.MethodsA 39-item anonymous electronic survey was developed and distributed to medical students across Africa through social networks to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education. The survey assessed the domains of: class structure changes and timing, patient interactions, exam administration, learning environment satisfaction, mental health impacts, and volunteer opportunities/engagement.Results694 students across 33 countries participated. 80% of respondents had their classes suspended for varied lengths of time during the pandemic, and from these students 59% of them resumed their classes. 83% of students felt they were in a supportive learning environment before the pandemic, which dropped to 32% since the start. The proportion of students taking exams online increased (6–26%, p<0.001) and there was a decrease in the proportion of students seeing patients as a part of their education (72–19%, p<0.001).ConclusionsCOVID-19 is harming medical students in Africa and is likely to worsen the shortage of the future’s healthcare workforce in the region. Pandemic-related impacts have led to a degradation of the learning environment of medical students. Medical schools have shifted online to differing degrees and direct patient-care in training of students has decreased. This study highlights the urgent need for flexible and innovative approaches to medical education in Africa.

【 授权许可】

CC BY