Students' perspectives on global surgery and its integration into formal medical education

Global surgery is "an area of study, research, practice, and advocacy that seeks to improve health outcomes and achieve health equity for all people who require surgical care". The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery strives for an additional 2.28 million physicians in the global surgery workforce by 2030. Understanding how medical students perceive global surgery will be essential in educating the next generation of global surgeons, anaesthesiologists and obstetricians. This study investigated the knowledge, attitudes and exposure of Belgian medical students towards global surgery. An anonymous online survey was distributed to first to final year medical students across Belgian universities using social media. Data was collected on demographics, exposure, knowledge, obstacles and attitudes of medical students towards global surgery. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. A total of 304 medical students participated from four Belgian universities. A minority of students reported having exposure to global surgery (24.7%). Most students were interested in gaining more exposure to global surgery (75.3%). Almost all students agreed (94.4%) that global surgery is a relevant topic for medical students, and most agreed (71%) that there should be more compulsory education on the topic. Only 13 to 44% of students could correctly answer questions testing global surgery knowledge. Students reported multiple barriers to pursuing a career in global surgery. Belgian medical students global surgery knowledge and exposure is lacking despite clear interest in the field. Educating and supporting students will be essential in supporting them to take on careers in global surgery. These results advocate for the inclusion of pre-clinical global surgery seminars alongside equitable international clinical internships in formal medical education across Europe and worldwide.