Medical faculty profile is an important determinant of student profile and future practice expectations of medical students in Angola

Funding Information: Rosa Ferrinho for assistance with data processing and literature search. COSEP for data collection. Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e Tecnologia for funds to GHTM UID/04413/2020. This study was part of a broader consultation for the Government of Angola. Authorization for publishing this study was obtained from the Ministry of Health of Angola. Funding Information: The study was sponsored by the Government of Angola. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).Background: Angola is among one of the most deprived countries in the world in terms of medical professionals. In the past decade, the Angolan Government has invested in the expansion of faculties of medicine in the country. We analysed the profiles of medical students in Angola according to four clusters of medical schools: older faculty in the country, private faculties, Cuban sponsored faculties and military faculty; under the assumption that the organizational culture of the different faculties might influence the expectations and decisions towards future professional life of medical students regarding where they want to work (community versus hospital) and in which sector (exclusively public versus not exclusively public). Methods: Observational cross-sectional study. Piloted, standardized questionnaire to final year medical students or higher year of training in the first four-month of 2014 (N = 402). Data were entered into a SPSS v.20 database and descriptive statistics computed. Statistical significance for categorical variables was tested by Pearson chi-square, Fisher exact or likelihood ratio tests as appropriate. Comparison of means was tested with Anova. Backward elimination binary logistic regression was used to test the hypothesis that type of faculty of medicine is an important determinant of future professional practice, i.e., level (hospital vs. community) or sector of practice (exclusive public sector vs. private or private and public), while controlling for confounders. Results: After controlling for age, sex, marital status, place of birth and place of primary and secondary education, type of family and family influence, students were more likely to choose community over hospital practice and to prefer exclusive public practice if attending a Cuba supported faculty of medicine. Conclusions: Medical education cannot be isolated from planning of the medical workforce. Some important and impactful careers choices, like choosing rural over urban practice, public over private sector practice, have deep influences in the medical professionals’ labour market. Some of these decisions are shaped even before the end of the medical training. As such, the monitoring of future professional intentions in medical schools should be done regularly to accommodate both the health system needs and the hopes and dreams of medical trainees.publishersversionpublishe

comparação dos perfis dos alunos de diferentes cursos (medicina, enfermagem e TDT), em diferentes níveis de ensino (básico, médio e superior)

Introdução: Descrevemos a evolução da formação de técnicos de saúde (TdS) em Angola e verificamos que o Plano de Desenvolvimento de Recursos Humanos (PDRH) 1997-2007 teve um profundo impacto no desenvolvimento da formação da força de trabalho em saúde em Angola. Este artigo relata um estudo feito no âmbito da elaboração do segundo PDRH 2013-2025 tendo por objetivo obter dados comparáveis sobre o perfil dos estudantes que frequentavam os diferentes cursos de ciências da saúde em Angola. Métodos: A metodologia foi baseada na utlizada em estudos semelhantes noutros países lusófonos e em Angola em 2007. O estudo decorreu no primeiro quadrimestre de 2014 subcontratado a uma empresa especializada. Os dados foram inseridos em SPSS v.20 em 2014 e estatísticas descritivas (contagem, frequência relativa, média e desvio padrão e medianas) foram calculadas com SPSS v 25 durante 2020. Resultados: Os resultados do estudo revelam uma mensagem positiva. Os alunos foram recrutados com uma ampla base geográfica; estavam satisfeitos com a escolha da formação e o seu desempenho era, em geral, satisfatório, embora a percentagem de estudantes de técnicas de diagnóstico e terapêutica (TDT) com disciplinas em atraso mereça atenção. Após a formação pretendiam estabelecer-se em Angola, de preferência numa prática hospitalar, de preferência na rede pública. Como o setor público não tem capacidade para absorver todos os alunos, é gratificante constatar que muitos estavam abertos à prática no setor privado, principalmente nas capitais provinciais ou nacionais, preferencialmente em acumulação com trabalhos do setor público. Discussão e conclusões: Em fim de ciclo do Plano Nacional de Formação de Quadros 2013-2020, este estudo destaca algumas das questões que terão de ser abordadas pelas instituições de formação a fim de contribuir para uma força de trabalho de saúde equilibrada em Angola, com TdS em quantidade com a qualidade e distribuição necessárias para dar reposta às necessidades do sistema de saúde e da população. Introduction: We describe the evolution of the training of health technicians (HT) in Angola and find that the Human Resources Development Plan (HRDP) 1997-2007 had a profound impact on the development of the training of the health workforce in Angola. This article reports on a study carried out within the scope of the preparation of the second HRDP 2013-2025 with the objective of obtaining comparable data on the profile of students who attended the different health sciences courses in Angola. Methods: The methodology was based on that used in similar studies in other Portuguese-speaking countries and in Angola in 2007. The study took place in the first four months of 2014, subcontracted to a specialized company. Data were entered in SPSS v.20 in 2014 and descriptive statistics (count, relative frequency, mean and standard deviation and medians) were calculated with SPSS v 25 during 2020. Results: The study results reveal a positive message. The students were recruited with a wide geographic base; they were satisfied with the choice of training and their performance was, in general, satisfactory, although the percentage of students in the Allied Health Sciences (AHS) with over-due subjects deserves attention. After training, they intended to settle in Angola, preferably in a hospital practice, preferably in the public network. As the public sector does not have the capacity to absorb all students, it is gratifying to note that many were open to practice in the private sector, mainly in provincial or national capitals, preferably in accumulation with public sector work. Discussion and conclusions: At the end of the cycle of the National Staff Training Plan 2013-2020, this study highlights some of the issues that will have to be addressed by training institutions in order to contribute to a balanced health workforce in Angola, with HT in quantity with the quality and distribution needed to respond to the needs of the health system and the populationpublishersversionpublishe

Parcerias entre faculdades de medicina no âmbito dos PALOP - Da elaboração à implementação de um programa estratégico de desenvolvimento

A cooperação no âmbito da Medicina, entre Portugal e os PALOP, deve ser a de capacitação das instituições parceiras. Desde 2005, tem a Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto (FMUP) implementado programas no âmbito da Educação Médica (EM) com a Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Agostinho Neto (FMUAN), em Luanda, Angola. Em 2008, a extensão a Moçambique foi possível através do financiamento ao Projecto A NAME for Health – A Network Approach in Medical Education for the Pursuit of Quality of Higher Education Institutions and Health Systems (EDULINK). O reforço das redes de EM e de prestação de cuidados de saúde passou, desde aí, a desempenhar um papel central na cooperação com os PALOP

desafios e oportunidades

Analisar os desafios na formação da força de trabalho em saúde, com ênfase na categoria médica, que responda às novas necessidades geradas pela transição demográfica, epidemiológica, novas incorporações tecnológicas e demandas dos usuários dos serviços de saúde nos países de língua portuguesa. Métodos: o trabalho tem como base a revisão de literatura, a leitura dos documentos preparatórios do 5º Congresso Nacional de Medicina Tropical, as apresentações realizadas pelos oradores e os debates sobre o tema. Resultados: a formação de profissionais em saúde é complexa, demandando a contextualização dos currículos, refletindo as novas competências e as demandas de formação dos serviços de saúde, como a integralidade do cuidado, atuação na atenção primária e respostas a mudanças do quadro epidemiológico. Entretanto, as pressões do mercado e as práticas corporativas, particularmente da categoria médica, dificultam estes processos. Conclusão: em função da baixa capacidade regulatória do setor público na formação de recursos humanos, as iniciativas de aproximar a formação das necessidades sanitárias têm efeito muito limitado diante das pressões do mercado. Torna-se necessário maior clareza sobre o diagnóstico das demandas de human resources nos países da Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa e maior regulação do setor público quanto a formação em saúde.publishersversionpublishe

The training and professional expectations of medical students in Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the professional expectations of medical students during the 2007-2008 academic year at the public medical schools of Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, and to identify their social and geographical origins, their professional expectations and difficulties relating to their education and professional future.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected through a standardised questionnaire applied to all medical students registered during the 2007-2008 academic year.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Students decide to study medicine at an early age. Relatives and friends seem to have an especially important influence in encouraging, reinforcing and promoting the desire to be a doctor.</p> <p>The degree of feminization of the student population differs among the different countries.</p> <p>Although most medical students are from outside the capital cities, expectations of getting into medical school are already associated with migration from the periphery to the capital city, even before entering medical education.</p> <p>Academic performance is poor. This seems to be related to difficulties in accessing materials, finances and insufficient high school preparation.</p> <p>Medical students recognize the public sector demand but their expectations are to combine public sector practice with private work, in order to improve their earnings. Salary expectations of students vary between the three countries.</p> <p>Approximately 75% want to train as hospital specialists and to follow a hospital-based career. A significant proportion is unsure about their future area of specialization, which for many students is equated with migration to study abroad.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Medical education is an important national investment, but the returns obtained are not as efficient as expected. Investments in high-school preparation, tutoring, and infrastructure are likely to have a significant impact on the success rate of medical schools. Special attention should be given to the socialization of students and the role model status of their teachers.</p> <p>In countries with scarce medical resources, the hospital orientation of students' expectations is understandable, although it should be associated with the development of skills to coordinate hospital work with the network of peripheral facilities. Developing a local postgraduate training capacity for doctors might be an important strategy to help retain medical doctors in the home country.</p

How students perceive medical competences: a cross-cultural study between the Medical Course in Portugal and African Portuguese Speaking Countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A global effort has been made in the last years to establish a set of core competences that define the essential professional competence of a physician. Regardless of the environment, culture or medical education conditions, a set of core competences is required for medical practice worldwide. Evaluation of educational program is always needed to assure the best training for medical students and ultimately best care for patients. The aim of this study was to determine in what extent medical students in Portugal and Portuguese speaking African countries, felt they have acquired the core competences to start their clinical practice. For this reason, it was created a measurement tool to evaluate self-perceived competences, in different domains, across Portuguese and Portuguese-speaking African medical schools.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The information was collected through a questionnaire that defines the knowledge, attitudes and skills that future doctors should acquire. The Cronbach's Alpha and Principal Components Analysis (PCA) were used to evaluate the reliability of the questionnaire. In order to remove possible confounding effect, individual scores were standardized by country.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The order of the domain's scores was similar between countries. After standardization, Personal Attitudes and Professional Behavior showed median scores above the country global median and Knowledge alone showed median score below the country global median. In Portugal, Clinical Skills showed score below the global median. In Angola, Clinical Skills and General Skills showed a similar result. There were only significant differences between countries in Personal Attitudes (p < 0.001) and Professional Behavior (p = 0.043).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The reliability of the instrument in Portuguese and Portuguese-speaking African medical schools was confirmed. Students have perceived their level of competence in personal attitudes in a high level and in opposite, knowledge and clinical skills with some weaknesses.</p

A pandemia da Covid-19: dos factos à evidência científica

A pandemia da covid-19: dos factos à evidência científic

A Revista Angolana de Ciências da Saúde como contributo para a investigação científica de Angola

oai:ojs2.racsaude.com:article/5Trata-se do editorial da edição inaugural da Revista Angolana de Ciências da Saúde (RACSAÚDE)