Exploring the interest of medical students in global health in South Korea: Does taking a global health course matter?

BMC Medical Education

Research

Jayoung Park¹  Woong-Han Kim²  Jongho Heo³  Jongnam Hwang⁴  Yeji Lim⁵ 

[1] Department of Human Systems Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;Program in Global Surgery and Implementation Science, JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Ihwajang-gil 71, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;Department of Human Systems Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;Program in Global Surgery and Implementation Science, JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Ihwajang-gil 71, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Seoul National University Children’s Hospital, 101, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea;Department of Human Systems Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;Program in Global Surgery and Implementation Science, JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Ihwajang-gil 71, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;National Assembly Futures Institute, 1, Uisadang-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;Division of Social Welfare & Health Administration, Wonkwang University, 460 Iksandae-ro, Iksan, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea;Program in Global Surgery and Implementation Science, JW LEE Center for Global Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Ihwajang-gil 71, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;

关键词: Global health;    Global health education;    Medical students;    Medical curriculum;    Medical education;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12909-023-04703-5

 received in 2023-06-22, accepted in 2023-09-19,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPrioritizing global health is important for positive health outcomes. Doctors play a pivotal role in addressing health issues that they need to recognize the importance of global health practice. However, medical education in global health is still in its early stages in many countries, including South Korea.MethodsThis study is a quantitative cross-sectional study. Medical students were recruited from all 40 Korean medical schools and data collection was conducted in 2021. Stratified proportional quota sampling was employed as the sampling method. The study examined medical students’ interest in global health as the dependent variable. Independent variables included whether individuals had taken global health courses as part of their medical curriculum, while covariates included student background and institutional factors. Logistic regression was used to determine if taking a global health class was associated with global health interests.ResultsThe study included 2450 participants and almost 32% of medical students (n = 781) were interested in global health. Taking global health classes in school was associated with a higher likelihood of developing an interest in global health (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.00-1.67). The likelihood of being interested in global health decreased across the academic year (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.53–0.94). Individuals in graduate entry programs were associated with an interest in global health (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.01–1.72).ConclusionThis study provides the first comprehensive nationwide assessment of medical students’ perspectives on global health education in South Korea. The findings underscore the importance of early and sustained exposure to global health topics in medical education in fostering interest in global health. These results can serve as valuable evidence for medical educators seeking to integrate global health education into their curricula.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

12936_2017_1866_Article_IEq9.gif