World Directory Of Medical Schools Research Articles

Cross-Border Accreditation in the Caribbean: A Potential Threat to the Integrity of the Accreditation Process?

According to the World Directory of Medical Schools, the Caribbean region hosts around 100 medical schools, leading to variations in education programs and student performance. Accreditation is crucial for maintaining educational standards. The proliferation of accrediting agencies recognized by the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME) has led to cross-border accreditation practices and market-driven competition. Concerns about the integrity of accreditation processes in the Caribbean region have raised questions about educational quality and global implications. Establishing a framework and scrutiny of the WFME regarding cross-border accreditation is essential to preserve educational standards and prevent global implications. ECFMG's intervention is urgently needed to investigate and restore the integrity of medical school accreditation in the Caribbean, setting a precedent for global accreditation standards.

Stratification of Health Professional Education and Its Funding Disparities: Evidence From China During the Period of 1998-2017.

Background: The finance of health professional education (HPE) is of immense importance for effective and sustainable health systems, yet relevant empirical research was scarce due to the lack of financial data. The study aimed to bridge the gap by presenting the scenario of finance for health professional institutions (HPIs) of different tiers in China and exploring how the stratification of institutions affected their funding disparities.Methods: The study employed data collected from the Ministry of Education in China, and selected the HPIs mainly based on the World Directory of Medical Schools. The funding levels and disparities of China's HPIs during the period (1998–2017) were analyzed with descriptive statistics, and the indicators of funding per institution and funding per student were both considered. The average funding in HPIs was presented by tiers, and the Gini coefficient and Theil index were employed to describe the differences in financing among HPIs over the span.Results: The study found that the number of HPIs has kept growing over the past two decades, with both the funding per institution and the funding per student increasing steadily. Specifically, the average funding per institution of the three tiers increased by 31.5 times, 13.4 times, and 10.5 times separately, with the first-tier universities having an absolute advantage compared to lower tiers. As for the financing disparities among HPIs, the Gini coefficient of the funding per institution maintained to be over 0.5, with the third-tier institutions scoring the highest, while the Gini coefficient of the funding per student all ranged approximately from 0.2 to 0.3. Through the decomposition of the inequalities measured by the Theil index, the share of the between-tier difference in per-institution funding grew from 29.7 in 1998 to 77.9% in 2017.Conclusions: The funding disparities between tiers of HPIs in China gradually became more accentuated, with the top-tier institutions taking up the largest share. Although the stratified development in HPE has posed a challenge to the unified quality assurance of medical personnel training, it may also be regarded as an effective pathway for developing countries like China to achieve stable development in health professional education.

Mapping University-Based Master of Public Health Programs in the Arab world.

Background:The Arab world faces numerous health challenges that mandate a competent public health workforce and strengthening public health education.Objective:To analyze university-based Master of Public Health (MPH) programs offered at Faculties of Public Health (FPH) and of Medicine (FM) in Arab countries.Methods:We searched a regional database of academic public health institutions, conducted a search of university websites, and reviewed websites of the Association of Arab Universities and World Directory of Medical Schools. A factsheet for each MPH program was emailed to deans of respective faculties for validation and completion. We examined associations between presence of such programs and population size and Human Development Index (HDI).Findings:A total of 19 FPH and 10 FM at 28 universities offer MPH programs (7 programs per 100 million population). Ten countries offer no MPH programs; the remaining 12 offer 1–5 programs each. Ten MPH programs were initiated over 45 years (1965–2009) and another 19 over 10 years (2010–2019). No correlation was observed between offering an MPH program and the country’s HDI or population size. Less than half of the programs admit students from fields outside health. FPH and FM-based programs are comparable in offering core disciplines but FPH programs offer more Social and Behavioral Sciences (83% vs. 60%). More FM-based programs provide practicum training (78% vs. 53%); 10 programs offer none. Epidemiology, alone or with Biostatistics, and Health Management and Policy are the two most frequently offered MPH concentrations. None of the MPH programs offer a concentration on public health in conflict or humanitarian crises; only one offers a certificate on the theme. Only three programs, all FPH-based, reported international accreditation.Conclusions:The recent increase in MPH programs in Arab countries is encouraging. Critical gaps are absence of MPH programs in 10 countries, less coverage of the social sciences, and lack of practicum experience in 10 programs. Upgrading and promoting public health education across the region to fill these gaps calls for collaboration among existing MPH programs. More in-depth analysis of the history and mission of these programs, as well as their admission criteria and curricula, is needed.

Global trends in medical education accreditation

BackgroundAccreditation systems in medical education aim to assure various stakeholders that graduates are ready to further their training or begin practice. The purpose of this paper is to explore the current state of medical education accreditation around the world and describe the incidence and variability of these accreditation agencies worldwide. This paper explores trends in agency age, organization, and scope according to both World Bank region and income group.MethodsTo find information on accreditation agencies, we searched multiple online accreditation and quality assurance databases as well as the University of Michigan Online Library and the Google search engine. All included agencies were recorded on a spreadsheet along with date of formation or first accreditation activity, name changes, scope, level of government independence, accessibility and type of accreditation standards, and status of WFME recognition. Comparisons by country region and income classification were made based on the World Bank’s lists for fiscal year 2021.ResultsAs of August 2020, there were 3,323 operating medical schools located in 186 countries or territories listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools. Ninety-two (49%) of these countries currently have access to undergraduate accreditation that uses medical-specific standards. Sixty-four percent (n = 38) of high-income countries have medical-specific accreditation available to their medical schools, compared to only 20% (n = 6) of low-income countries. The majority of World Bank regions experienced the greatest increase in medical education accreditation agency establishment since the year 2000.ConclusionsMost smaller countries in Europe, South America, and the Pacific only have access to general undergraduate accreditation, and many countries in Africa have no accreditation available. In countries where medical education accreditation exists, the scope and organization of the agencies varies considerably. Regional cooperation and international agencies seem to be a growing trend. The data described in our study can serve as an important resource for further investigations on the effectiveness of accreditation activities worldwide. Our research also highlights regions and countries that may need focused accreditation development support.

What Impact will the Changes Announced in USMLE have on Successful Matching of International Medical Graduates in Residency Programs in the United States?

All international medical graduates intending to join an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited clinical residency programs must obtain certification from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. A pre-requisite for obtaining this certification is the need to graduate from a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools and to pass all three steps of United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). While the outcome of all three steps is important and considered during the evaluation of an applicant for residency training in the United States, the numerical score of Step 1 has generally been considered as one of the most important metrics during this process. However, as of 2022, USMLE Step 1 will be scored on a Pass/Fail basis eliminating the advantage afforded to the international medical graduates who traditionally scored relatively high on this step of the exam. It is therefore imperative that to succeed in obtaining a competitive residency program in the United States, international medical graduates must consider acquire additional experience and expertise in the areas of research, publications, clinical electives in United States, networking with program participants, etc.

What Impact will the Changes Announced in USMLE have on Successful Matching of International Medical Graduates in Residency Programs in the United States

All international medical graduates intending to join an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educationaccredited clinical residency programs must obtain certification from the Educational Commission for ForeignMedical Graduates. A pre-requisite for obtaining this certification is the need to graduate from a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools and to pass all three steps of United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). While the outcome of all three steps is important and considered during the evaluation of an applicant for residency training in the United States, the numerical score of Step 1 has generally been considered as one of the most important metrics during this process. However, as of 2022, USMLE Step 1 will be scored on a Pass/Fail basis eliminating the advantage afforded to the international medical graduates who traditionally scored relatively high on this step of the exam. It is therefore imperative that to succeed in obtaining a competitive residency program in the United States, international medical graduates must consider acquiring additional experience and expertise in the areas of research, publications, clinical electives in the United States, networking with program participants, etc.

A Data Model for Medical Schools and their Programs:

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the information needs of regulators in the face of increasing globalization in medical education and practice, the history of information resources cataloging the world's medical education institutions, and the development of a tool that can fill an information gap concerning where and how physicians around the world are educated — the World Directory of Medical Schools. The World Directory was developed to meet the needs of medical regulators and other stakeholders who rely on specific data about medical schools and their educational programs. Its data model captures information about schools and programs as separate entities, allowing for greater flexibility and utility in the areas of regulation and workforce research.

Medical Schools in Fragile States: Implications for Delivery of Care.

To report on medical schools in fragile states, countries with severe development challenges, and the impact on the workforce for health care delivery. 2007 and 2012 World Bank Harmonized List of Fragile Situations; 1998-2012 WHO Global Health Observatory; 2014 World Directory of Medical Schools. Fragile classification established from 2007 and 2012 World Bank status. Population, gross national income, health expenditure, and life expectancy were 2007 figures. Physician density was most recently available from WHO Global Health Observatory (1998-2012), with number of medical schools from 2014 World Directory of Medical Schools. Regression analyses assessed impact of fragile state status in 2012 on the number of medical schools in 2014. Fragile states were 1.76 (95 percent CI 1.07-2.45) to 2.37 (95 percent CI 1.44-3.30) times more likely to have fewer than two medical schools than nonfragile states. Fragile states lack the infrastructure to train sufficient numbers of medical professionals to meet their population health needs.

Enhancing quality of medical care in low income and middle income countries through simulation-based initiatives: recommendations of the Simnovate Global Health Domain Group

BackgroundQuality of medical care in low income and middle income countries (LMICs) is variable, resulting in significant medical errors and adverse patient outcomes. Integration of simulation-based training and assessment may be considered to enhance quality of patient care in LMICs. The aim of this study was to consider the role of simulation in LMICs, to directly impact health professions education, measurement and assessment.MethodsThe Simnovate Global Health Domain Group undertook three teleconferences and a direct face-to-face meeting. A scoping review of published studies using simulation in LMICs was performed and, in addition, a detailed survey was sent to the World Directory of Medical Schools and selected known simulation centres in LMICs.ResultsStudies in LMICs employed low-tech manikins, standardised patients and procedural simulation methods. Low-technology manikins were the majority simulation method used in medical education (42%), and focused on knowledge and skills outcomes. Compared to HICs, the majority of studies evaluated baseline adherence to guidelines rather than focusing on improving medical knowledge through educational intervention. There were 46 respondents from the survey, representing 21 countries and 28 simulation centres. Within the 28 simulation centres, teachers and trainees were from across all healthcare professions.DiscussionBroad use of simulation is low in LMICs, and the full potential of simulation-based interventions for improved quality of care has yet to be realised. The use of simulation in LMICs could be a potentially untapped area that, if increased and/or improved, could positively impact patient safety and the quality of care.

Impact of conflict on medical education: a cross-sectional survey of students and institutions in Iraq

ObjectiveThis study surveyed all Iraqi medical schools and a cross-section of Iraqi medical students regarding their institutional and student experiences of medical education amidst ongoing conflict. The objective was to...

THE MEDICAL EDUCATION AND GLOBALIZATION CHALLENGES

The article considers actual issues of medical education initiated by globalization. The impact of globalization on medical education has multi-vector, multi-factor, multi-directional, parallel and cumulative character. This singularity merges all factors, effects, changes and processes adding by globalization to medical education into heterarchy system formed by crossing, manifold, and simultaneously coexisting structures. The alterations of systemic conditions of functioning of medical education as priority of economic principle, substitution of notion "medical care" by "medical service", diseases of rich and diseases of poor, uncertainty factor, chaotization, priority of applied medical knowledge, individualistic paradigm of medical training are considered. The role and value of the World directory of medical schools in international medical organization is demonstrated.

Overview of the world's medical schools: an update.

That few data are available on the characteristics of medical schools or on trends within medical education internationally constitutes a major challenge when developing strategies to address physician workforce shortages. Quality and up-to-date information is needed to improve health and education policy planning. We used publicly available data from the International Medical Education Directory and Avicenna Directories, and an internal education programme database to gather data on medical education provision worldwide. We sent a semi-structured questionnaire to a selection of 346 medical schools, of which 218 (63%) in 81 different countries or territories replied. We contacted ministries of health, national agencies for accreditation or similar bodies to clarify inconsistencies among sources. We identified key informants to obtain country-level specific information. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse current medical school data by country. There are about 2600 medical schools worldwide. The countries with the largest numbers of schools are India (n=304), Brazil (n=182), the USA (n=173), China (n=147) and Pakistan (n=86). One-third of all medical schools are located in five countries and nearly half are located in 10 countries. Of 207 independent states, 24 have no medical school and 50 have only one. Regionally, numbers of citizens per school differ: the Caribbean region has one school per 0.6million population; the Americas and Oceania each have one school per 1.2million population; Europe has one school per 1.8million population; Asia has one school per 3.5million population, and Africa has one school per 5.0million population. In 2012, on average, there were 181 graduates per medical school. The total number and distribution of medical schools around the world are not well matched with existing physician numbers and distribution. The collection and aggregation of medical school data are complex and would benefit from better information on local recognition processes. Longitudinal comparisons are difficult and subject to several sources of error. The consistency and quality of medical school data need to be improved to accurately document potential supply; one example of such an advancement is the World Directory of Medical Schools.

Latin American and Caribbean dental schools: teaching about special needs

Assess the extent of the teaching of care for individuals with special needs in schools of dentistry in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and deans and program directors' willingness to introduce such programmatic modules into the curricula. The survey instrument (a short-answer questionnaire modeled from the U.S. Curriculum Assessment of Needs Project) was delivered to a survey sample gleaned from all LAC dental schools listed in the World Health Organization (WHO) World Directory of Medical Schools through a Web-based survey tool that delivered the questionnaire via e-mail and stored and displayed responses graphically and in real time. Schools with incorrect or insufficient e-mail/contact information or a primary working language other than Spanish or Portuguese were excluded from the study. A total of three attempts (by e-mail and telephone) were made to follow up nonrespondents. More than half of the 142 respondents indicated their students were receiving less than 5 hours of didactic training and less than 5 hours of clinical training in the care of individuals with special needs. Of these 142 respondents, 23% and 30%, respectively, reported that no curricula hours were needed for didactic or clinical training focused exclusively on care of individuals with special needs. Emphasis on the difficulties in developing such programs was placed on lack of faculty experienced in the care of patients with special needs. There is a need for increased didactic and clinical preparation of graduates of LAC dental schools in the care of individuals with special health needs.

World Federation for Medical Education Policy on International Recognition of Medical Schools’ Programme

The increasing globalisation of medicine, as manifested in the migration rate of medical doctors and in the growth of cross-border education providers, has inflicted a wave of quality assurance efforts in medical education, and underlined the need for definition of standards and for introduction of effective and transparent accreditation systems. In 2004, reflecting the importance of the interface between medical education and the healthcare delivery sector, a World Health Organization (WHO)/World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) Strategic Partnership to improve medical education was formed. In 2005, the partnership published Guidelines for Accreditation of Basic Medical Education. The WHO/WFME Guidelines recommend the establishment of proper accreditation systems that are effective, independent, transparent and based on medical education-specific criteria. An important prerequisite for this development was the WFME Global Standards programme, initiated in 1997 and widely endorsed. The standards are now being used in all 6 WHO/WFME regions as a basis for quality improvement of medical education throughout its continuum and as a template for national and regional accreditation standards. Promotion of national accreditation systems will have a pivotal influence on future international appraisal of medical education. Information about accreditation status - the agencies involved and the criteria and procedure used - will be an essential component of new Global Directories of Health Professions Educational Institutions. According to an agreement between the WHO and the University of Copenhagen (UC), these Directories (the Avicenna Directories) will be developed and published by the UC with the assistance of the WFME, starting with renewal of the WHO World Directory of Medical Schools, and sequentially expanding to cover educational institutions for other health professions. The Directories will be a foundation for international meta-recognition ("accrediting the accreditors") of educational institutions and their programmes.

Status of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in European Medical Schools

Background: The aim of this study was to investigatewhether Complementary and Alternative Medicine(CAM) education is part of the regular medical curriculumin European universities and whether it correlateswith the public demand for CAM methods. Materials andMethods: Using the World Directory of Medical Schools,265 medical faculties in EU countries were contacted viae-mail or regular post and asked to fill out a questionnaireof 7 questions concerning CAM education in theirestablishments. Results: Only 40% of the responding universitieswere offering some form of CAM training. Wecould not show any correlation between the public demandfor CAM methods and the availability of CAMtraining in medical universities. Conclusions: The growingpopularity of CAM makes it very important for physiciansto gain information on these methods and techniques,thus better incorporation of CAM education intothe regular medical curriculum is needed in all Europeanmedical faculties.

News and Notes

Medical EducationVolume 14, Issue 2 p. 176-177 News and Notes First published: March 1980 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.1980.tb02631.x World Directory of Medical Schools. Fifth Edition. Geneva, World Health Organization 1979. 358 pages. Sw.fr. 30.–. French edition in preparation. Medical Education, 1980, 14, 176–177 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume14, Issue2March 1980Pages 176-177 RelatedInformation

Fatal penicillin-induced hemolytic anemia

<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> Barry Stimmel, MD (242:140, 1979), proposes to use the pass-fail rate of US citizens on the Educational Council on Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) examination as a guide to the quality of education at a foreign medical school. This is an extremely unreliable method of estimating quality, because it completely ignores the level of education of the candidates. The ECFMG requires only two years of medical education at a school listed in the<i>World Directory of Medical Schools</i>, published by the World Health Organization. One school may have a high pass rate and have mostly graduates taking the examination; another may have mostly undergraduates taking the examination and have a low pass rate. There is no uniformity of the candidate population from school to school. In 1974 (the last year for which a statistical breakdown was published) McGuinness (229:431, 1974) showed that less than 40% of the US

World Directory of Medical Schools

Medical Journal of AustraliaVolume 2, Issue 17 p. 680-680 Review World Directory of Medical Schools First published: 01 October 1964 https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1964.tb109520.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume2, Issue17October 1964Pages 680-680 RelatedInformation

World Directory of Medical Schools

World Directory of Medical Schools

World Directory of Medical Schools

World Directory of Medical Schools