| Description |
Short-term medical missions (STMMs), defined generally as short-length trips (ranging from 1 week to several months) where participants from one country travel to another country to provide medical or health-related care, have grown in popularity and number in recent years. As STMMs have grown, the global community has increasingly identified their damaging practices (which can result in reduced benefit to host communities or actively cause harm) and best practices (which can result in enhanced benefit to both participants and host communities). While best practice principles are becoming more common in the field and in the literature, many STMM programs continue to perpetrate problematic damaging practices. Thus, prospective STMM participants who want to contribute in a meaningful and beneficial way must understand damaging vs. best practice principles, as well as how to apply those principles in selecting a program. However, it remains difficult and overwhelming for prospective STMM participants to find information on damaging vs. best practices, and it is even more difficult to know how to apply that knowledge in evaluating which STMM programs are the most beneficial. This project reviews the literature and consults with field experts to create an accessible yet detailed tool for prospective STMM participants to more easily learn about these STMM practices and know how to apply that knowledge in evaluating prospective programs, including sections on mindsets, damaging practices, best practices, and strategies for program evaluation (including a 2-page program evaluation instrument). |
