Perceptions of short-term medical volunteer work
A qualitative study in Guatemala
Dados Bibliográficos
| ID | 19533892 |
|---|---|
| Autores | Tyler Green (0000-0003-4088-9185, University of Colorado Denver), Heidi Green (0000-0002-7908-3819, University of Colorado Denver), Jean Scandlyn (0000-0001-9925-5027, University of Colorado Health, autor correspondente), Andrew Kestler (0000-0002-9358-0272, University of Colorado Denver) |
| Ano | 2009 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Fascículo | 1 |
| Páginas | 4-4 |
| Data de publicação | 2009-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Sim |
| Open Access | Sim |
| Tipo | ARTICLE |
| Periódico | Globalization and Health (JOURNAL) |
| Identificadores do periódico | ISSN: 1744-8603 • E-ISSN: 1744-8603 |
| Editora | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1186/1744-8603-5-4 |
| PMID | 19245698 |
| PMCID | PMC2662818 |
| OpenAlex | W2035129459 |
| Idioma | EN |
| Citações recebidas | 28 |
| Referências citadas | 20 |
BACKGROUND: Each year medical providers from wealthy countries participate in short-term medical volunteer work in resource-poor countries. Various authors have raised concern that such work has the potential to be harmful to recipient communities; however, the social science and medical literature contains little research into the perceptions of short-term medical volunteer work from the perspective of members of recipient communities. This exploratory study examines the perception of short-term medical volunteer work in Guatemala among groups of actors affected by or participating in these programs. METHODS: The researchers conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 72 individuals, including Guatemalan healthcare providers and health authorities, foreign medical providers, non-medical personnel working on health projects, and Guatemalan parents of children treated by a short-term volunteer group. Detailed notes and summaries of these interviews were uploaded, coded and annotated using Atlas.ti (Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin) to identify recurrent themes from the interviews. RESULTS: Informants commonly identified a need for increased access to medical services in Guatemala, and many believed that short-term medical volunteers are in a position to offer improved access to medical care in the communities where they serve. Informants most frequently cited appropriate patient selection and attention to payment systems as the best means to avoid creating dependence on foreign aid. The most frequent suggestion to improve short-term medical volunteer work was coordination with and respect for local Guatemalan healthcare providers and their communities, as insufficient understanding of the country's existing healthcare resources and needs may result in perceived harm to the recipient community. CONCLUSION: The perceived impact of short-term medical volunteer projects in Guatemala is highly variable and dependent upon the individual project. In this exploratory study, project characteristics were identified that are consistently perceived to be either positive or negative. These findings have direct implications for anyone involved in the planning and execution of short-term medical volunteer projects, including local and foreign medical team members, project planners and coordinators, and health authorities. Most importantly, this preliminary study suggests avenues for future study and evaluation of the impact of short-term medical volunteer programs on local health care services
Harm · Health care · Health services research · Medical education · Political science · Public health · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social policy · Sociology · Global Health and Surgery · Global Maternal and Child Health · Law · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social Psychology · Tourism, Volunteerism, and Development
Global Health Ethics and Professionalism Education at Medical Schools
Client or Volunteer? Understanding Neoliberalism and Neocolonialism Within International Volunteer Health Work
Ethical challenges in global short-term health volunteering in low- and middle-income countries
Systematic review of low-income and middle-income country perceptions of visiting surgical teams from high-income countries
Institutionalising global health
Teaching for Human Rights Advocacy in Guatemala
International Voluntary Health Networks (IVHNs). A social-geographical framework
Medical Brigades to El Salvador and Honduras
Medical voluntourism in Honduras
Making surgical missions a joint operation
Perceptions of a short-term medical programme in the Dominican Republic
Looking good but doing harm? Perceptions of short-term medical missions in Nicaragua
International clinical volunteering in Tanzania
Views from the global south
Expanding the scope of medical mission volunteer groups to include a research component
Ghanaian views of short-term medical missions
Fly-By medical care
Guidelines for responsible short-term global health activities
Guidelines for short-term medical missions
Economic assessment of US physician participation in short-term medical missions
Effective practices of international volunteering for health
Power, potential, and pitfalls in global health academic partnerships
Short-term volunteer health trips
A comparative study of Taiwan's short-term medical missions to the South Pacific and Central America
Transcultural Development
Short-Term Medical Service Trips
Medical volunteers as accidental tourists
Freedom of choice, expressions of gratitude
| Obras citantes distintas | 28 |
|---|---|
| Citações por ano | 1,75 |
| Intervalo de citações | 2010 - 2026 (17) |
| Velocidade de citação | current |
| Altamente citado | Não |
| Tipos de citação | Neutras: 27 |