ArticlePLOS global public health2025
A qualitative evaluation of a global surgery course within the University of Cape Town's master of public health curriculum: A cross-sectional study.
Article in PLOS global public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Access to safe surgery is a critical, yet often neglected, component of Public Health for health systems strengthening. Despite its importance, Global Surgery education remains absent from Public Health curricula, which may lead Public Health specialists unprepared to address the unmet global burden of surgical disease. This study evaluated a novel Fundamentals in Global Surgery course within the University of Cape Town's Master of Public Health (MPH) program, an initiative designed to bridge this educational gap. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using in-depth structured interviews with ten program alumni (2022-2025). Data were analyzed thematically to explore the course's impact on participants' knowledge, careers, and professional identity. Analysis revealed five central themes defined by the following key insights: 1) a notable paradigm shift from viewing surgery as a clinical discipline to understanding it as a Public Health imperative; 2) the critical role of a multidisciplinary learning environment in mirroring real-world health systems; 3) the effectiveness of applied pedagogical approaches like case-based learning and intervention design; 4) a significant professional impact, including direct career pivots, advancements, and the cultivation of a practitioner-advocate mindset; and 5) logistical challenges of balancing coursework with professional duties. UCT's Fundamentals in Global Surgery course for MPH students demonstrates an effective model for integrating Global Surgery into Public Health education. By combining a systems-focused curriculum, an improvement science approach, and a multidisciplinary cohort, the course shows potentials to transform students into practice-ready change agents. The findings of this study inform a blueprint for curriculum development and strengthen the call to integrate Global Surgery into Public Health training.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.