Evaluating the impact of neurosurgical rotation experience in Africa on the interest and perception of medical students towards a career in neurosurgery: a protocol for a continental, cross-sectional study

• DOI: 10.1093/jsprm/snac006
• Publication Date: 2022-04-03T05:21:02Z
• Authors: Setthasorn Zhi Ya...; Olaoluwa Ezekiel ...; George William Bu...; Yves Jordan Kenfack; Chi Le; Efosa Ohonba; Emmanuel Adeyemo; Kapil Narain; Ahmed Khaled Awad; Umaru Barrie; Dawin Sichimba; Oloruntoba Ogunfo...; Lilian Mwende Kit...; Adaeze Juanita Or...; Michael Abayomi B...; Douglas Emeka Okor; Ola Rominiyi
• Keywords: Medical education; Family medicine; Developmental psychology; Economics; Neurosurgery; Test (biology); Social Sciences; Preference; Gender Studies; Study Protocol; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Specialty; Gender Bias in Academic Medicine and Science; Health Sciences; Pathology; Microeconomics; Surgical Simulation and Training Techniques; Psychology; Biology; Cross-sectional study; Economic growth; 4. Education; Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; Paleontology; Likert scale; 3. Good health; FOS: Psychology; Medical Education; Workforce; Medicine; Global Surgery and Health Development; Surgery; Perception; Neuroscience

Abstract

Introduction Africa has the second highest neurosurgical workforce deficit globally. Despite the many recent advancements in increasing neurosurgical access in Africa, published reports have shown that the vast majority of undergraduate students have little or no exposure to neurosurgery. The lack of exposure may pose a challenge in reducing the neurosurgical workforce deficit, which is one of the long-term strategies of tackling the unmet burden of disease. Students may also miss the opportunity to appreciate the specialty and its demands as well as nurture their interest in the field. This study aims to assess the impact of a neurosurgical rotation during medical school in shaping the perception and interest of students towards a career in neurosurgery.

Methods The cross-sectional study will be conducted through the dissemination of a self-administered e-survey hosted on Google Forms from 21st February 2021 to 20th March 2021. The survey will contain five-point Likert scale, multiple-choice and free-text questions. The structured questionnaire will have four sections with 27 items: (i) socio-demographic background, (ii) neurosurgical experience, (iii) perception towards a neurosurgical career and (iv) interest in a neurosurgical career. All consenting medical students in African medical schools who are in their clinical years (defined as fourth to sixth years or higher years of study) will be eligible. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, Welch t-test and adjusted logistic regression models will be used to test for associations between independent and dependent variables. Statistical significance will be accepted at P < 0.05.