Opportunities, barriers, and expectations towards international voluntary medical missions among health trainees in Saudi Arabia

The objective is to assess the feasibility, barriers, expectations, and motivation of health trainees in Saudi Arabia regarding medical missions. This study seeks to fill the gap in global health curricula and regulations, as well as provide guidance for trainees participating in international health electives in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional survey of health trainees (in medical, surgical, and other allied health professions) was conducted across Saudi Arabia from March 2017 to February 2018 using a standardized survey adapted to assess expectations, barriers, awareness of available opportunities, and the effect of mentorship in improving motivation towards medical missions. A total of 589 respondents completed the survey, with a response rate of 83.7%. Most respondents were under 35 years, with an equal sex distribution. Further, the respondents primarily had medical and surgical specialties training and graduated from the western region of Saudi Arabia. Health trainees who considered volunteering during training but did not have previous experience in missions acknowledged that the presence of a staff member experienced in missions in their training environment positively affected their interest in missions (p= 0.038). The most common reasons for interest in volunteerism were to enhance one's own technical and clinical skills and help others in need. Interest in tourism and learning about new cultures are additional reasons. Only 7/589 participants had experience and expressed the barriers they faced during volunteerism. Interestingly, their colleagues who did not have a similar experience perceived almost the same barriers. A major barrier faced by experienced participants was the "lack of elective time," compared to the "lack of available organized opportunities" by the inexperienced group. In conclusion, coordinating health trainees' missions through a unified authoritative body would provide better opportunities, override challenges, and improve their perceptions and participation in these missions.