Journal Article

Medical education challenges during the war crisis in Sudan: a cross-sectional study, 2023–2024

Ibrahim, Samah A., Ali, Eithar M., Elhassan, Mustafa E., Ahmed, Yousra S., Omer, Alaa T.

2024

Overview

The ongoing war crisis in Khartoum, Sudan, has created significant challenges for medical students, impacting their education. A cross-sectional study involving 224 medical students was conducted in Khartoum state to explore the challenges faced by medical students during this crisis, using a structured Google Form questionnaire. The majority of participants were female (65.6%), fourth-year students (36.6%), and aged between 22 and 25 years (66.8%). Notably, 92% of the participants had been displaced from Khartoum. The study found that a majority of participants reported experiencing physiological distress, with study distractions (65.2%), anxiety (51.8%), and depression (49.1%). Significant gender differences were observed, with females reporting higher psychological distress compared to males ( p -value = 0.04). Additionally, 45% of participants noted that the war led to a shortage of experienced teaching staff, and 56.6% raised concerns about the potential decline in the quality standards of their university's curriculum. Nearly 48% of participants expressed a desire to collaborate with international or local universities in stable regions to continue their education. However, 20.2% believed that online learning can effectively maintain the continuity of their education. A significant correlation was found between university type and the ability to resume activities online or outside of Khartoum State ( p -value = 0.01). The study concludes that the war crisis in Khartoum State has had significant, negative consequences for medical students, impacting their mental well-being, access to necessary resources, and overall learning experiences. Immediate interventions, psychological support, and increased coordination and collaboration among international and regional academic institutions are needed.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Academic Achievement / Adult / Anxiety - epidemiology / Armed Conflicts / Civil war / Colleges & universities / Cross-Sectional Studies / Curricula / Curriculum / Data collection / Developed Nations / Displaced persons / Distance Education / Distance learning / Education / Education, Medical / Educational aspects / Educational Quality / Electronic Learning / Emergency medical care / Female / Health aspects / Humanitarianism / Humans / Infrastructure / Learning challenges / Male / Management / Medical Education / Medical schools / Medical students / Military Training / Online instruction / Organic Chemistry / Professional Education / Professionals / Proposal Writing / Psychological aspects / Questionnaires / Rural areas / Sample Size / Stress, Psychological - epidemiology / Student Experience / Students, Medical - psychology / Sudan / Surveys and Questionnaires / Theory of Medicine/Bioethics / Tuition / Ukrainian / Undergraduate Students / War / War crisis / Well being / World Problems / Young Adult