P3.H160: Towards a Global Health Track: A Qualitative Needs Assessment of Pediatric Trainees

Background: In the past few years, an impressive collection of new information on global health curricula, ethics, and best practices in global health education have been disseminated. Nonetheless, there are no standardized or explorative needs-assessments addressing the felt needs of trainees seeking to participate in those global health opportunities. In order to create a formalized global health track at our institution, we first aimed to assess trainee attitudes towards global health experiences, and their preferred learning approaches.

Methods: Using qualitative methodology; and after obtaining IRB review and exemption; we conducted semi-structured focus groups with pediatric residents and fellows at our institution. Focus groups were recorded and transcribed, then coded by two independent coders. Data was analyzed utilizing thematic descriptive analysis and themes were generated via an inductive approach.

Results: Five trainee focus groups (n=25) were conducted, including 20 residents and 5 fellows. During analysis, five themes were identified (see Table 1). 1. Pre-residency global health experiences offer valuable exposure to trainees but can be a source of moral distress if lacking impact and sustainability. 2. Early exposure to underserved populations creates a desire “to give back” in local and global health settings. 3. Trainees are interested in learning the art of practicing medicine with limited resources, including clinical decision making and procedural skills. 4. Trainees want to acquire research and leadership skills, such as conducting a needs assessment and facilitating long-lasting collaborative global partnerships. 5. Trainees prefer an interactive global health curriculum, including hands-on workshops, group discussions and exchange of virtual sessions with global partners.

Conclusion: Conducting a qualitative needs assessment facilitated the identification of trainees’ desired skills, topics, and learning modalities to inform the creation of future global health track, its curricular, and operational components. Additionally, it highlighted the positive and negative impact of pre-training global health experiences in shaping trainee perception of the field and their future participation. This needs assessment can be a useful template for other institutions creating or improving a global health educational program.