“I Need to Be the First One with a Different Approach and to Make a Difference to the People”: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study on Non-Physician Clinicians Training in Malawi

Advances in Medical Education and Practice · 4 authors, 3 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

POPULATIONAll 17 Clinical Officer students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Paediatrics and Child Health training program.

INTERVENTIONA partnership-supported training curriculum complementing the existing program with practical case-based teaching, research projects, and leadership/communication modules.

COMPARISONNone; a single-group pre-post self-assessment study design.

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

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TL;DR

This mixed-methods pilot study evaluated a partnership-supported Bachelor of Science training program for non-physician clinicians (Clinical Officers) in Malawi. Students reported significant improvements in clinical and non-clinical skills, self-efficacy, and leadership readiness.

Full summary

875 CHARS

This mixed-methods pilot study evaluated a partnership project supporting a three-year Bachelor of Science in Paediatrics and Child Health training for non-physician clinicians in Malawi. Quantitative data from self-assessments showed 92% of students perceived course content 'at their level', with a mean Research Self-Efficacy Scale score of 9.10 on a 10-point scale. Qualitative data from focus groups and interviews revealed students felt their clinical knowledge and skills improved, valued a holistic management approach, and gained confidence for leadership roles. Limitations include the small sample size (N=17), absence of a control group, and cross-sectional design. The findings suggest the training enhanced both clinical and non-clinical competencies, fostering transformative learning that could enable graduates to act as change agents in their health system.

PICO

PPOPULATION

All 17 Clinical Officer students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Paediatrics and Child Health training program.

IINTERVENTION

A partnership-supported training curriculum complementing the existing program with practical case-based teaching, research projects, and leadership/communication modules.

OOUTCOME

Perceived educational outcomes including skills, attitudes, self-efficacy, and readiness for practice.

STUDY TYPE

other

SPECIALTY

pediatrics

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10042166

“I Need to Be the First One with a Different Approach and to Make a Difference to the People”: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study on Non-Physician Clinicians Training in Malawi

Advances in Medical Education and Practice

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Purpose To improve child health care depends on the availability of sufficient numbers of skilled healthcare workers. To achieve this, the German Society of Tropical Paediatrics & International Child Health supported the existing three-year Bachelor of Science in Paediatrics and Child Health training for Clinical Officers, a non-physician clinician cadre, from 09/2017 to 08/2019. This study aims to evaluate the project to inform forthcoming training. Methods All 17 students who were in training took part in this study. Quantitative data collection took place between 01/2018 to 06/2019 using the post-self-assessment bloc course survey, Research Self-Efficacy Scale (RSES), and Stages of Change (SOC) model. Students and key informants participated in three focus group discussions and five in-depth interviews during April 1–10, 2019. Results Students mostly perceived bloc course contents “At their level” (92%) and “Very important/relevant” (61%) with “Good quality” teaching (70.5%). The mean (SD) score for RSES (10-point scale) was 9.10 (0.91). The SOC (4-point scale) scores were higher for “Attitude” and “Intention” statements than “Action”. Students found the program well-paced, felt that their clinical knowledge and skills had improved, and valued the acquired holistic disease management approach. They reported increased confidence and being more prepared for leadership roles in their future work. The involvement of international teachers and supervisors enriched their global perspectives. Conclusion Students improved their clinical and non-clinical skills, developed self-efficacy and attitudes toward research, and were confident to build and utilize their networks. These transformative experiences could facilitate the development of change agents among current and future trainees.

CITATION EXPORT

Farzana Yasmin, Andreas Schultz, Ajib Phiri et al.. “I Need to Be the First One with a Different Approach and to Make a Difference to the People”: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study on Non-Physician Clinicians Training in Malawi. Advances in Medical Education and Practice. (2023). https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S381660

AUTHORS

4 · 3 CENTRES

Farzana Yasmin, Andreas Schultz, Ajib Phiri, Ralf Weigel

1Friede Springer Endowed Professorship for Global Child Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
2Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Oral Health, Lilongwe, Malawi
3Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany