A qualitative study on the impact of COVID-19 on continued medical education in Low to Middle Income Countries (LMICs)

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Submitted: 15 November 2023
Accepted: 1 August 2024
Published online: 7 January, TAPS 2025, 10(1), 17-26

Eugene Kua1, Sinead Kado4, Valsan Philip Verghese5, Pauline Wake6 & Amy Gray1,2,3

1Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; 2The Department of Paediatrics, Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; 3The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; 4Division of Health Professions Education, School of Allied Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia; 5Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India; 6School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, National Capital District, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic disruptions to medical educational programs have been felt worldwide. However, little is understood about the experience of Low to Middle Income Countries’ (LMIC) and the impact of ensuing disruptions on medical education. We aimed to develop a collective understanding of this through the perspectives of individual LMIC educators, exploring how they continued to deliver undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in the context of pandemic barriers, by reflecting on their successes and shortcomings.

Methods: A phenomenological study was conducted with ten purposefully recruited educators involved in medical education from mainly the Asia-Pacific region. In-depth interviews via web-conferencing were conducted, and data analysed using Braun & Clarke’s (2006) framework. 

Results: Four major themes were identified: ‘Navigating Change, ‘Altered and Divided Teaching Roles and Spaces’, ‘Curricula Impact’ and ‘Challenges and Affordances of Remote Learning’. Educators described major disruptions to delivering medical education, particularly clinical education. Remote learning was the mainstay of facilitating continued education, often requiring investment into infrastructure that was non-existent pre-pandemic.

Conclusion: LMIC educators’ pandemic response have been robust in pursuit of continued medical education. Necessary adoption of online teaching approaches has provided avenues to close healthcare education gaps by facilitating improved reach and quality of medical education in these regions. Building on this requires strategies that meet LMICs areas of need, focusing on capacity building that sustains and grows new pedagogical practices.  We must ensure educational advances are equitable and accessible for all, identifying and supporting countries and contexts at risk of being left behind.

Keywords:           Low to Middle Income Countries, COVID-19, Medical Education, Remote Learning, Qualitative

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