The Resident Decision-Making Process in Global Health Education

The globalization of pediatric graduate medical education is ongoing; thus, this study was conducted to begin to explore the nature of resident interest in global health (GH) training and to further identify potentially modifiable factors influencing participation in away rotations. The authors surveyed all residents at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to identify factors influencing participation in education efforts and away rotations. With a participation rate of 79.4% (n = 143), 5 key factors emerged as most significant in the decision-making process amid all participants. Among residents who had previous experience, 82.1% were interested in participating in an away elective compared with 58.3% of those without experience (P = .002). Residents with previous experience abroad were also more likely to plan to integrate GH into their careers (61.7% vs 26.7%, P < .0001). This article describes specific obstacles to resident participation in GH education and documents the association between previous experience and significant interest in long-term involvement.