Meeting Report
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Meeting Report MEETING ON HEALTH PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION REFORMS IN TRANSITION ECONOMY COUNTRIES 24–25 APRIL 2018 PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA Meeting on Health Professional Education Reforms in Transition Economy Countries 24–25 April 2018 Phnom Penh, Cambodia WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC RS/2018/GE/10(KHM) English only MEETING REPORT MEETING ON STRENGTHENING HEALTH PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION REFORMS IN TRANSITION ECONOMY COUNTRIES Convened by: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC Phnom Penh, Cambodia 24–25 April 2018 Not for sale Printed and distributed by: World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific Manila, Philippines June 2018 NOTE The views expressed in this report are those of the participants of the Meeting on Strengthening Health Professional Education Reforms in Transition Economy Countries and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the conveners. This report has been prepared by the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific for Member States in the Region and for those who participated in the Meeting on Strengthening Health Professional Education Reforms in Transition Economy Countries in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 24 to 25 April 2018. CONTENTS SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................ 1 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 Meeting organization ................................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Meeting objectives ..................................................................................................................... 2 2. PROCEEDINGS.................................................................................................................................. 3 2.1 Opening session ......................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Technical sessions ...................................................................................................................... 3 2.2.1 Session 1: Setting the scene – driving service delivery transformation through health professional education reforms .................................................................................................... 3 2.2.2 Session 2: Health professional education reforms – health professional competencies for current and future health needs .................................................................................................... 4 2.2.3 Session 3: Market Place – country posters........................................................................... 4 2.2.4 Session 4: Addressing the health professional education reform challenges – role of teaching hospitals ........................................................................................................................ 6 2.2.5 Session 5: Addressing the health professional education reform challenges – clinical simulations .................................................................................................................................. 6 2.2.6 Session 6: Addressing the health professional education reform challenges – clinical placements .................................................................................................................................. 6 2.2.7 Session 7: Open Space ........................................................................................................ 7 2.2.8 Session 8: Country presentations ........................................................................................ 7 2.3 Brown bag seminars ................................................................................................................... 9 2.4 Country-specific sessions ........................................................................................................... 9 3. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................ 9 3.1 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 9 3.2 Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 11 3.2.1 Recommendations for Member States ............................................................................... 11 3.2.2 Recommendations for WHO ............................................................................................. 11 ANNEXES ............................................................................................................................................ 13 Annex 1. Programme of activities Annex 2. List of participants Annex 3. Opening remarks Annex 4. Health professional education: entry points for action KEYWORDS Education, Public health professional / Health education-economics / Health manpower / Universal coverage SUMMARY Commitment to universal health coverage has created an urgent need to improve the quality and safety of health services. In this context, health professional education plays an important role in preparing a fit-for-purpose health workforce. Although governments have undertaken initiatives to reform health professional education, these efforts have often been piecemeal, suggesting the need for a strategic focus to support systematic improvements and to build a workforce that is competent and responsive to health service needs. The objectives of the Meeting on Health Professional Education Reforms in Transition Economies were: 1) to take stock of progress on policy developments and the status of implementation of the recommendations and action plans developed during the previous meeting; 2) to review the current situation of clinical training and identify measures to strengthen clinical competencies; and 3) to identify areas of technical cooperation and support to strengthen the linkages between education, regulation, and the health system. The meeting provided an opportunity for 25 representatives from the five transition countries (Cambodia, China, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia and Viet Nam), which included senior representatives from the ministries of health, education, academic institutions and professional regulatory bodies. They were given the opportunity to share experiences, discuss supportive policy options and explore possible areas for technical cooperation at country and regional levels to enhance the quality and relevance of health professional education. Challenges faced by the participating countries include lack of coordination between the health professional institutes and teaching hospitals, limited opportunities and incentives for faculty development, non-standardized student assessments, poor integration of training in basic and clinical sciences, and lack of clarity regarding the roles and responsibilities of each participating institution. The latter, in transitional economies, could be the outcome of the shift from a state-owned centrally planned economy to a pluralistic system with greater influence of market forces. Four main dimensions to strengthen clinical training of health professionals were discussed: (i) core competencies, (ii) teaching hospitals, (iii) clinical simulations and (iv) clinical placements. The meeting underlined the need to equip health professionals with competencies (clinical and social) that are aligned with the service delivery needs. Participants were reminded that health professional education is a lifelong journey of learning. The content of the learning process has to be guided by the evolving disease burden and concurrent socio-demographic changes. 1 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Meeting organization Comprehensive approaches to improving and scaling up health professional education are essential in supporting and advancing health system performance. To achieve universal coverage of quality health services, the focus should shift from producing more health workers towards reforming the quality and relevance of health professional education, to prepare a workforce that is competent and committed to respond to population health needs. The first Meeting on Health Professional Education Reforms in Cambodia, China, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Viet Nam, which was held in Hanoi, Viet Nam in 2017, brought together experts and staff from the ministries of health and education, educational institutions and health professional bodies. It focused on four domains: curriculum reforms, faculty development, student assessment and quality assurance. The meeting provided recommendations on how to develop country-specific action plans for the implementation of competency-based curricula, newer pedagogical and student assessment approaches, opportunities for faculty development, and quality assurance mechanisms. Member States across the Western Pacific Region, in particular the transition economy countries, have undertaken initiatives to improve health professional education, as part of a broader strategy to improve the quality of health services. However, challenges remain, creating the need to adopt more comprehensive approaches in the design and implementation of health professional education reforms. The Meeting on Strengthening Health Professional Education Reforms