The benefits of international volunteering in a low-resource setting: development of a core outcome set

Tyler, Natasha; Chatwin, John; Byrne, Ged; Hart, Jo; Byrne-Davis, Lucie

Abstract

Background: Qualitative narrative analysis and case studies form the majority of the current peer-reviewed literature about the benefits of professional volunteering or international placements for healthcare professionals. These often describe generalised outcomes that are difficult to define or have multiple meanings (such as 'communication skills' or 'leadership') and are therefore difficult to measure. However, there is an interest from employers, professional groups and individual volunteers in generating metrics for monitoring personal and professional development of volunteers and comparing different volunteering experiences in terms of their impact on the volunteers. In this paper, we describe two studies in which we (a) consolidated qualitative research and individual accounts into a core outcome set and (b) tested the core outcome set in a large group of global health stakeholders. Method: We conducted a systematic review and meta-synthesis of literature to extract outcomes of international placements and variables that may affect these outcomes. We presented these outcomes to 58 stakeholders in global health, employing a Delphi method to reach consensus about which were 'core' and which were likely to be developed through international volunteering.

Citation

Tyler, N., Chatwin, J., Byrne, G., Hart, J., & Byrne-Davis, L. (2018). The benefits of international volunteering in a low-resource setting: development of a core outcome set. Human Resources for Health, 16(1), Article 69. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-018-0333-5

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 8, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Dec 20, 2018
• Publication Date: Dec 20, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jan 15, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 15, 2019
• Journal: Human Resources for Health
• Electronic ISSN: 1478-4491
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 69
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-018-0333-5
• Keywords: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; Public Administration
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1471956
• Publisher URL: https://human-resources-health.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12960-018-0333-5