549 - Positive Impact of a Travel Grant for Pediatricians from Lower- and Middle-Income Countries

Monday, May 1, 2023

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Poster Number: 549
Publication Number: 549.41

Meghan E. Hofto, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States; Alexandra Coria, Maimonides Children's Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Meghan E. Hofto, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Background: Many grants exist to bring academics from lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to conferences in high-income countries (HICs) for professional development, professional identity formation, opportunities to disseminate their research, etc. Since 2013, the AAP Section on Hospital Medicine has sponsored a grant to facilitate inpatient pediatricians from LMICs to come to the annual Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) conference. However, outcomes and benefits of this type of award are rarely studied.

Objective:

To determine the perceived benefit of the AAP PHM Conference Global Health (GH) Scholars Grant and how it has affected recipients’ future practice.

Design/Methods: The 19 award winners from 2013-2020 were emailed a survey to explore what content from the meeting was beneficial to participants from LMICs, how perceptions of hospital medicine changed before and after the grant, and barriers to meeting attendance. Freetext fields queried the most valuable part of the conference and reasons for applying.

Results: Response rate was 11/19 (58%). Ten (91%) respondents attended the conference. Ten (91%) currently work clinically; 9 (81%) participate in education and research, and 8 (73%) do quality improvement. All respondents felt that the PHM content was somewhat or very relevant to what they do; the most beneficial topics were clinical topics and quality improvement, followed by medical education. Those answering that they were “somewhat” or “very familiar” with the field of PHM increased from 60% of respondents before to 100% after the conference. Only 5 (50%) attendees considered themselves hospitalists before, compared with 100% after the conference. The most common barrier to conference attendance even after the grant was financial (45%). All would recommend the experience to a colleague. All indicated that they applied to gain additional knowledge on evidence-based medicine for patient care back home. Two quotes from grant winners on how the experience was incorporated into practice at home: “My hospital had it's (sic) first research conference. I was able to use some of the experience in helping with the planning and arranging on the days,” and “Back home, I have developed several quality improvement projects and did a conference for the medical personal (sic) at the hospital.”

Conclusion(s): Travel awards for physicians from LMICs to attend conferences in HICs are a beneficial experience and can lead to increased knowledge both for the recipient and their colleagues. They can also support professional identity formation for pediatric hospitalists globally.