Frontiers in Surgery (May 2021)
Needs of Young African Neurosurgeons and Residents: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Ulrick S. Kanmounye,
- Faith C. Robertson,
- Nqobile S. Thango,
- Alvin Nah Doe,
- Nourou Dine Adeniran Bankole,
- Pape Aicha Ginette,
- Solomon Ondoma,
- James A. Balogun,
- Isabella Opoku,
- Luxwell Jokonya,
- Thioub Mbaye,
- Zarina A. Shabhay,
- Ahmed M. Ashour,
- Ana Cristina Veiga Silva,
- Beverly Cheserem,
- Claire Karekezi,
- Fahd Derkaoui Hassani,
- Nesrine Mentri,
- Tsegazeab Laeke,
- Abenezer Tirsit Aklilu,
- Samuila Sanoussi,
- Aaron Musara,
- Jeff Ntalaja,
- Peter Ssenyonga,
- Souad Bakhti,
- Najia El Abbadi,
- Muhammad Raji Mahmud,
- Nasser M. F. El-Ghandour,
- Amro Al-Habib,
- Angelos G. Kolias,
- Franco Servadei,
- Graham Fieggen,
- Mahmood Qureshi,
- Ignatius Esene,
- CAANS Young Neurosurgeons Committee and WFNS Young Neurosurgeons Committee
Affiliations
- Ulrick S. Kanmounye
- Research Department, Association of Future Africa Neurosurgeons, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faith C. Robertson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Nqobile S. Thango
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Alvin Nah Doe
- Neurosurgery Sub-Unit, Department of Surgery, John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Monrovia, Liberia
- Nourou Dine Adeniran Bankole
- Neurosurgery Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ibn Sina Rabat- Mohamed V University of Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
- Pape Aicha Ginette
- Division of Neurosurgery, Felix Houphouet Boigny University of Abidjan, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Solomon Ondoma
- Mercy One Neurosurgery, Mercy One Hospital of North Iowa, Mason, IA, United States
- James A. Balogun
- Division of Neurological Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Isabella Opoku
- Department of Neurosurgery, China International Neuroscience Institute (China-INI), Beijing, China
- Luxwell Jokonya
- 0Division of Neurosurgery, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Thioub Mbaye
- 1Department of Neurosurgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Fann, Dakar, Senegal
- Zarina A. Shabhay
- 2Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Ahmed M. Ashour
- 3Department of Neurosurgery, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
- Ana Cristina Veiga Silva
- 4Neurosurgery Department, Restauração Hospital, Recife, Brazil
- Beverly Cheserem
- 5Department of Neurosurgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
- Claire Karekezi
- 6Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Rwanda Military Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda
- Fahd Derkaoui Hassani
- 7Department of Neurosurgery, Cheikh Zaid International Hospital, Abulcasis International University of Health Sciences, Rabat, Morocco
- Nesrine Mentri
- 8Department of Neurosurgery, Bejaia University Hospital, Béjaïa, Algeria
- Tsegazeab Laeke
- 9Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Surgery, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Abenezer Tirsit Aklilu
- 9Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Surgery, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Samuila Sanoussi
- 0Department of Neurosurgery, Niamey National Hospital, Niamey, Niger
- Aaron Musara
- 0Division of Neurosurgery, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Jeff Ntalaja
- 1Department of Neurosurgery, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Peter Ssenyonga
- 2Department of Neurosurgery, CURE Children's Hospital of Uganda, Mbale, Uganda
- Souad Bakhti
- 3Pediatric Neurosurgery Division, Department of Neurosurgery, Academic Hospital Mustapha Pacha, Algiers, Algeria
- Najia El Abbadi
- 7Department of Neurosurgery, Cheikh Zaid International Hospital, Abulcasis International University of Health Sciences, Rabat, Morocco
- Muhammad Raji Mahmud
- 4Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Surgery, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
- Nasser M. F. El-Ghandour
- 5Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- Amro Al-Habib
- 6Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Angelos G. Kolias
- 7NIHR Global Health Research Group on Neurotrauma, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Franco Servadei
- 8Department of Neurosurgery, Humanitas University and Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Graham Fieggen
- 9Division of Neurosurgery, Neurosciences Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Mahmood Qureshi
- 5Department of Neurosurgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya
- Ignatius Esene
- 0Neurosurgery Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon
- CAANS Young Neurosurgeons Committee and WFNS Young Neurosurgeons Committee
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2021.647279
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 8
Abstract
Introduction: Africa has many untreated neurosurgical cases due to limited access to safe, affordable, and timely care. In this study, we surveyed young African neurosurgeons and trainees to identify challenges to training and practice.Methods: African trainees and residents were surveyed online by the Young Neurosurgeons Forum from April 25th to November 30th, 2018. The survey link was distributed via social media platforms and through professional society mailing lists. Univariate and bivariate data analyses were run and a P-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.Results: 112 respondents from 20 countries participated in this study. 98 (87.5%) were male, 63 (56.3%) were from sub-Saharan Africa, and 52 (46.4%) were residents. 39 (34.8%) had regular journal club sessions at their hospital, 100 (89.3%) did not have access to cadaver dissection labs, and 62 (55.4%) had never attended a WFNS-endorsed conference. 67.0% of respondents reported limited research opportunities and 58.9% reported limited education opportunities. Lack of mentorship (P = 0.023, Phi = 0.26), lack of access to journals (P = 0.002, Phi = 0.332), and limited access to conferences (P = 0.019, Phi = 0.369) were associated with the country income category.Conclusion: This survey identified barriers to education, research, and practice among African trainees and young neurosurgeons. The findings of this study should inform future initiatives aimed at reducing the barriers faced by this group.
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