Teaching Scottish medical students about global health in partnership with LMIC institutions. Does it change their views on volunteering in LMIC settings?

CONTEXT: An elective placement is a core part of most United Kingdom (UK) medical degrees, and a significant proportion of students choose to pursue their elective in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). There is a risk that students are ill-prepared for some of the ethical challenges that they will face during these placements, and that they have little appreciation for some of the negative effects that their placement can have on the host healthcare system. This study sought to address some of these negative consequences by exploring the preparation of medical students for these experiences, and the effect of including the LMIC perspective in preparation materials. METHODS: This qualitative study used thematic analysis to explore the attitudes of final year medical students at a Scottish medical school to international volunteering, after completing a module on global health. This module was designed and delivered in partnership with academics from Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia, thus incorporating a strong LMIC perspective. FINDINGS: This study demonstrated the ability of a global health module with a strong LMIC perspective to influence the attitudes of final year medical students in the following ways: 1) Challenging assumptions around international volunteering and, in particular, around some of the negative effects of international volunteering that had not previously been considered. 2) Changing future practice around international volunteering. IMPLICATIONS: This study provides good evidence that having a strong LMIC voice in preparation materials for medical students embarking on LMIC electives has the ability to increase awareness of some of the potential harms, and to positively influence how they plan to have discussions around and approach such experiences in the future.

Malnutrition enteropathy in Zambian and Zimbabwean children with severe acute malnutrition: A multi-arm randomized phase II trial.

Malnutrition underlies almost half of all child deaths globally. Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) carries unacceptable mortality, particularly if accompanied by infection or medical complications, including enteropathy. We evaluated four interventions for malnutrition enteropathy in a multi-centre phase II multi-arm trial in Zambia and Zimbabwe and completed in 2021. The purpose of this trial was to identify therapies which could be taken forward into phase III trials. Children of either sex were eligible for inclusion if aged 6-59 months and hospitalised with SAM (using WHO definitions: WLZ <-3, and/or MUAC <11.5 cm, and/or bilateral pedal oedema), with written, informed consent from the primary caregiver. We randomised 125 children hospitalised with complicated SAM to 14 days treatment with (i) bovine colostrum (n = 25), (ii) N-acetyl glucosamine (n = 24), (iii) subcutaneous teduglutide (n = 26), (iv) budesonide (n = 25) or (v) standard care only (n = 25). The primary endpoint was a composite of faecal biomarkers (myeloperoxidase, neopterin, α1-antitrypsin). Laboratory assessments, but not treatments, were blinded. Per-protocol analysis used ANCOVA, adjusted for baseline biomarker value, sex, oedema, HIV status, diarrhoea, weight-for-length Z-score, and study site, with pre-specified significance of P < 0.10. Of 143 children screened, 125 were randomised. Teduglutide reduced the primary endpoint of biomarkers of mucosal damage (effect size -0.89 (90% CI: -1.69,-0.10) P = 0.07), while colostrum (-0.58 (-1.4, 0.23) P = 0.24), N-acetyl glucosamine (-0.20 (-1.01, 0.60) P = 0.67), and budesonide (-0.50 (-1.33, 0.33) P = 0.32) had no significant effect. All interventions proved safe. This work suggests that treatment of enteropathy may be beneficial in children with complicated malnutrition. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier NCT03716115.