A successful international child health elective: the University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics' experience.

Objectives: To describe the organizational features of an international child health elective (ICHE) and to document the diversity of diagnoses observed by residents.

Design: Faculty from the Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, created a steering committee in 1999 to develop and direct an ICHE, including selecting residents, selecting and organizing sites, and creating objectives and a year-long preparatory curriculum. The elective was piloted in 2000 and repeated in 2002 and 2004.

Setting And Participants: Residents chose from 4 ICHE sites in Peru and Guatemala, where they observed clinical care in various clinical settings during a 4-week elective.

Main Outcome Measures: The ICHE was evaluated via written evaluations by faculty and residents as well as written and oral reports by participating residents.

Results: During the 2000 and 2004 electives, residents recorded clinical cases in a data-entry log. Of the patients logged, 18% had illnesses never seen before by the residents and 5.6% had illnesses in advanced stages not previously seen by the residents. Strong reciprocal relationships were created between the department and participating international institutions. Residents reported uniformly that the elective was a valuable element of their training.

Conclusions: Planning and faculty involvement in ICHEs helps to ensure achievement of elective objectives. Well-organized ICHEs have the potential to augment resident education. The experience at our institution demonstrates that ICHEs can provide experience with a variety of medical systems, exposure to diverse pathophysiologic conditions, and opportunities for collaboration with international colleagues.