Background

Medact is an organisation of health professionals undertaking education, research and advocacy on the health impacts of conflict, environmental degradation and poverty. The charity has established a curriculum for the proposed teaching of global health and development to medical and nursing undergraduates. The course is designed in such a way that core units are undertaken by all students with additional shorter study units on specialist topics being studied to make the course relevant to all groups using the material. This allows for maximum flexibility in using the course as a teaching resource and can enable its use in combination with electives and specialist research case studies.

Proposal for inclusion in radiography training / study

Although the course was initially designed for medical student to give a more holistic approach to the concept of health with greater emphasis on understanding communities and the influences on their health (GMC recommendations on undergraduate education ~ Tomorrow’s Doctors, 1993) there is scope for other degree training courses to include such courses along with the teaching of ethos. Some courses may already include an element on ethics, human rights and health provision in exceptional circumstances and the inclusion of such core subjects as are included in the Medact course can give greater insight. Radiography in the UK is growing ever more high tech and the teaching of imaging in developing countries serves to remind new graduates of the roots of radiography as a practical craft practiced by practically minded people.

The teaching of social and economic development in health also gives greater insight into the problems faced in their home countries of the growing number of refugees and economic migrants now resident in the UK.

The core content makes very good background study for those with little or no personal experience of working in radiography in developing countries and should provoke intelligent discussions. Further to this it would be necessary to study some shorter units which are more specific to radiography rather than general medical problems.

Suggestions for case studies

1. Providing an imaging service in a department with frequent water and electricity cuts.

2. Rationing resources in imaging departments where all patients are medical emergencies

3. Design a screening set up for chest disease such as TB~ the design must include an element of health education to ensure that patients understand the necessity of completing all courses of medication.

4. Design simple, practical, and cost effective immobilisation and positioning devices.

5. Common pathologies and presentation of illness ~ e.g. in immuno suppressed patients.

6. Design simple practical training manuals for the teaching of radiographic technique and quality assurance.

7. Poster designs for health education in x-ray departments ~ including discussion on the variations in interpretation of visual symbols and images.

Conclusions

Teaching development education is a very wide and varied topic the approach to which will very much depend on the individual experience of both the tutor/lecturer and the student.

Learning about health in development gives a deeper insight into the management of scarce resources, a deeper understanding of socio economic factors in healthcare and a broader perspective on the position of healthcare workers worldwide.