Adopting an Ethical Approach to Global Health Training

Abstract

Global health training opportunities for medical students and residents have proliferated in recent years. These short-term elective rotations allow trainees to learn about global health issues by participating in various aspects of education and health care in resource-limited settings. Recently published consensus-based ethical guidelines have suggested considerations for the design of international electives that address the activities of host and sending sites, visiting students and residents, and sponsors.The authors analyze the value of global health training opportunities for medical students, residents, faculty, host and sending institutions, and other stakeholders from the perspective of the Botswana-University of Pennsylvania Partnership, a program that has provided global health experiences for health care trainees for more than 10 years. Drawing from the Working Group on Ethics Guidelines for Global Health Training framework, they illustrate the ethical and logistical challenges faced by the program's organizers and the solutions that they implemented alongside their host site partners. They conclude with a summary of recommendations to guide implementation of ethically sound international health electives in resource-limited settings.