A call to enhance transparency among Egyptian medical schools.

BACKGROUND: Making accreditation results easily accessible has become a worldwide essential issue, especially after international standards were created for medical education. The Egyptian Society for Medical Education (ESME) expects Egyptian medical schools to be more open about their accreditation results to build trust with students, families, and the community. This will help ensure newly graduated doctors are of high quality. Our literature review found almost no information on how transparent Egyptian medical school websites are with posting their accreditation results. Students and families use these websites to choose schools and be confident in the quality of education, so accreditation results should be easily accessible. METHODS: This study was conducted to estimate the information transparency of Egyptian medical colleges' websites regarding their accreditation process. Twenty-five official websites of Egyptian medical colleges, as well as official website of the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education (NAQAAE) were reviewed. The websites' search considers two main criteria for transparency. Each criterion is further divided into several information items. Data was recorded and analyzed using Research Electronic Data Capture software (REDCap). The authors excluded, from the data analysis, newly established schools of less than five years of age that were not required to apply for accreditation yet. RESULTS: The results of the research showed that only thirteen colleges registered their credentials on their websites. However, the amount of data available about the process, dates, and documents was very limited. Accreditation information for these thirteen schools is confirmed by information on the NAQAAE website. Other information on other important elements such as accountability and future plans was almost completely missing. CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that due to the lack of basic information on the websites of Egyptian medical schools about their institutional accreditation status, serious steps should be taken by medical schools and the National Accreditation Authority to encourage openness and ensure transparency towards institutional accreditation.

Continuing professional development system for health-care professions, Egypt.

While the regulatory framework for medical education in Egypt has rapidly evolved, the progress of developing a system for continuing professional development has been slow. In 2018 the government approved legislation establishing a regulatory authority for continuing professional development and added expectations for continuing professional development as a condition of relicensure for physicians in Egypt. The new authority has deployed a provider-accreditation model that sets criteria for educational quality, learning outcomes, independence from industry, and tracking of learners. Only accredited providers can submit continuing professional development accredited activities. Despite regulatory and administrative support there have been several barriers to the implementation of the system including limited availability of funding, lack of suitable training venues and equipment for hands-on training, and resistance from the profession. As of March 2022, 112 continuing professional development providers have achieved accreditation, and deployed 154 accredited continuing professional development activities. The majority of accredited providers were medical associations (64%) and higher education institutions (18%), followed by medical foundations and nongovernmental organizations (13%) and health-care facilities (5%). One electronic learning platform has been accredited. Any entity with commercial interests cannot be accredited as a continuing professional development provider. Funding of continuing professional development activities can be derived from provider budgets, programme registration fees or appropriate sponsors. Funding from industry is limited to unrestricted educational grants. The foundations for an effective continuing professional development system have been established in Egypt with the aim of achieving international recognition.

Si le cadre réglementaire de l'enseignement médical en Égypte a rapidement évolué, la progression de l'élaboration d'un système de développement professionnel continu a été lente. En 2018, le gouvernement a approuvé la législation établissant une autorité de réglementation en faveur du développement professionnel continu et a ajouté des attentes en matière de développement professionnel continu comme condition de renouvellement du permis d'exercer pour les médecins en Égypte. Cette nouvelle autorité a diffusé un modèle d'accréditation des prestataires qui fixe des critères de qualité éducative, de résultats d'apprentissage, d'indépendance vis-à-vis du secteur et de suivi des apprenants. Seuls les prestataires accrédités peuvent présenter des activités agréées de développement professionnel continu. Malgré un soutien réglementaire et administratif, plusieurs obstacles ont entravé la mise en œuvre de ce système, notamment la disponibilité limitée de fonds, le manque de lieux de formation et d'équipements adaptés à une formation pratique, ainsi que la résistance de la part de la profession. En mars 2022, 112 prestataires de formation professionnelle continue avaient obtenu leur accréditation et mis en place 154 activités de formation professionnelle continue agréées. La majorité des prestataires accrédités étaient des associations médicales (64%) et des établissements d'enseignement supérieur (18%), suivis par des fondations médicales et des organisations non gouvernementales (13%) et des établissements de soins de santé (5%). Une plateforme d'apprentissage électronique a été accréditée. Toute entité ayant des intérêts commerciaux ne peut être accréditée en tant que prestataire de services de développement professionnel continu. Le financement des activités de développement professionnel continu peut provenir des budgets des prestataires, des frais d'inscription aux programmes ou de sponsors appropriés. Le financement par le secteur se limite à des subventions éducatives sans restriction. Les bases d'un système efficace de développement professionnel continu ont été établies en Égypte dans le but d'obtenir une reconnaissance internationale.

Mientras que el marco regulatorio para la educación médica en Egipto ha evolucionado con rapidez, el progreso del desarrollo de un sistema para el desarrollo profesional continuo ha sido lento. En 2018, el gobierno aprobó la legislación que establece una autoridad reguladora para el desarrollo profesional continuo y añadió las expectativas de desarrollo profesional continuo como condición para la renovación de la licencia de los médicos en Egipto. La nueva autoridad ha desplegado un modelo de acreditación de proveedores que establece criterios de calidad educativa, resultados de aprendizaje, independencia del sector y seguimiento de los estudiantes. Solo los proveedores autorizados pueden presentar actividades acreditadas de desarrollo profesional continuo. A pesar del apoyo normativo y administrativo, ha habido varios obstáculos para la aplicación del sistema, como la escasa disponibilidad de fondos, la falta de centros de formación y equipos adecuados para la formación práctica, y la resistencia de la profesión. En marzo de 2022, 112 proveedores de desarrollo profesional continuo han logrado la acreditación y han desplegado 154 actividades de desarrollo profesional continuo acreditadas. La mayoría de los proveedores autorizados eran asociaciones médicas (64 %) e instituciones de enseñanza superior (18 %), seguidas de fundaciones médicas y organizaciones no gubernamentales (13 %) y centros de atención sanitaria (5 %). También se ha acreditado una plataforma de aprendizaje electrónico. Las entidades con intereses comerciales no pueden ser acreditadas como proveedores de formación profesional continua. La financiación de las actividades de desarrollo profesional continuo se puede obtener de los presupuestos de los proveedores, de las cuotas de inscripción en los programas o de los patrocinadores correspondientes. La financiación obtenida del sector se limita a subvenciones educativas sin restricciones. En Egipto, se han establecido las bases de un sistema eficaz de desarrollo profesional continuo con el objetivo de lograr el reconocimiento internacional.

Neonatal seizures: stepping outside the comfort zone.

Seizures are the most common neurological disorders in newborns. Managing neonatal seizures is challenging, especially for neurologists who are not neonatal specialists. Acute brain injury during ischemic insult is a key component of seizure occurrence, while genetic and metabolic disorders play less prevalent but more severe roles. The diagnosis of neonatal seizure is ambiguous, as the subjective differentiation between seizure and nonepileptic events is difficult; therefore, electrographic recording is the gold standard for diagnosis. The detection of electrographic seizures by neonatologists is currently facilitated by amplitude-integrated electroencephalography availability in many neonatal intensive care units. Although it is less sensitive than conventional electroencephalography, it is better to record all risky neonates to filter the abnormal events as early as possible to enable the initiation of dedicated therapy at proper dose and time and facilitate the initial response to antiepileptic drugs. This, in turn, helps maintain the balance between unnecessary drug use and their neurotoxic effects. Moreover, the early treatment of electrographic seizures plays a vital role in the suppression of subsequent abnormal brain electricity (status epilepticus) and shortening the hospital stay. An explicit understanding of seizure etiology and pathophysiology should direct attention to the proper prescription of short- and long-term antiepileptic medications to solve the challenging issue of whether neonatal seizures progress to postneonatal epilepsy and long-term cognitive deficits. This review addresses recent updates in different aspects of neonatal seizures, particularly electrographic discharge, including their definition, etiology, classification, diagnosis, management, and neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Continuing professional development system for health-care professions, Egypt

While the regulatory framework for medical education in Egypt has rapidly evolved, the progress of developing a system for continuing professional development has been slow. In 2018 the government approved legislation establishing a regulatory authority for continuing professional development and added expectations for continuing professional development as a condition of relicensure for physicians in Egypt. The new authority has deployed a provider-accreditation model that sets criteria for educational quality, learning outcomes, independence from industry, and tracking of learners. Only accredited providers can submit continuing professional development accredited activities. Despite regulatory and administrative support there have been several barriers to the implementation of the system including limited availability of funding, lack of suitable training venues and equipment for hands-on training, and resistance from the profession. As of March 2022, 112 continuing professional development providers have achieved accreditation, and deployed 154 accredited continuing professional development activities. The majority of accredited providers were medical associations (64%) and higher education institutions (18%), followed by medical foundations and nongovernmental organizations (13%) and health-care facilities (5%). One electronic learning platform has been accredited. Any entity with commercial interests cannot be accredited as a continuing professional development provider. Funding of continuing professional development activities can be derived from provider budgets, programme registration fees or appropriate sponsors. Funding from industry is limited to unrestricted educational grants. The foundations for an effective continuing professional development system have been established in Egypt with the aim of achieving international recognition.

Epidemiology of Neonatal Sepsis and Implicated Pathogens: A Study from Egypt.

Prospective analytic study was conducted in NICUs of three Egyptian Neonatal Network (EGNN) participants in Mansoura Hospitals in Egypt over a period of 18 months from March 2011 to August 2012. By using EGNN 28-day discharge form, all demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were recorded and studied. During the study period, 357 neonates were diagnosed as suspected sepsis with an incidence of 45.9% (357/778) among the admitted neonates at the three neonatal intensive care units. 344 neonates (sex ratio = 1.3:1) were enrolled in the study in which 152 (44.2%) were classified as early onset sepsis EOS (≤72 hr) and 192 (55.8%) as late onset sepsis LOS (>72 hr). Among the LOS cases, 33.9% (65/192) were caused by nosocomial infections. In 40.7% (140/344), sepsis was confirmed by positive blood culture. The total mortality rate for the proven neonatal sepsis was 51% (25/49) and 42.9% (39/91) for EOS and LOS, respectively. Coagulase negative staphylococci were predominant isolates in both EOS and LOS, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae. Most of the bacterial isolates had low sensitivity to the commonly used empiric antibiotics. However, 70.1% (89/127) exhibited multidrug resistance. Best sensitivities among Gram-positive isolates were found against imipenem, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, and amikacin.