Future of family medicine faculty development in sub-saharan Africa

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: High-quality family medicine education is needed in sub-Saharan Africa to facilitate the future growth of primary care health systems. Current faculty educators recognize the value of dedicated teacher training and ongoing fac-ulty development. However, they are constrained by inadequate faculty development program availability and institutional support. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct a qualitative needs assessment comprised of 37 in-depth, semi-structured interviews of individual faculty trainers from postgradu-ate family medicine training programs in eight sub-Saharan African countries. Data were analyzed according to qualitative description. RESULTS: Informants described desired qualities for a family med-icine educator in sub-Saharan Africa: (1) pedagogical expertise in topics and perspectives unique to family medicine, (2) engage-ment in self-directed, lifelong learning, and (3) exemplary character and behavior that inspires others. Informant recommendations to guide the development of faculty development programs include: (1) sustainability, partnership, and responsiveness to the needs of the institution, (2) intentional faculty development must begin early and be supported with high-quality mentorship, (3) presumptions of teaching competence based on clinical training must be over-come, and (4) evaluation and feedback are critical components of faculty development.. CONCLUSIONS: High-quality faculty development in family medicine is critically important to the primary care workforce in sub-Saharan Africa. Our study describes specific needs and recom-mendations for family medicine faculty development in sub-Saha-ran Africa. Next steps include piloting and evaluating innovative models of faculty development that respond to specific institu-tional or regional needs.