Teaching Urological Surgery in Guinea: Current Status and Prospects

In Africa south of the Sahara, there are very few urologists. To fill this gap, a training in urology started in Guinea in 2005. The aim of this study was to take stock of this teaching, both theoretical and practical. Two different questionnaires were established for this survey. The first one was addressed to the students in order to collect their satisfaction and wishes regarding the teaching provided, and the second one to the person in charge of the teaching concerned the objectives of the DES, the conditions of participation in this training, and the teaching methods. Nineteen students (76%) responded to our questionnaire. Their average age was 34.74 years. The teaching provided was close to the practical concerns of the students in 68.42% of cases (n=13). The difficulties encountered by the enrollees were dominated by the payment of training fees (73.68%; n=14) and access to the internet (68.42%n=13). The most cited suggestions were the improvement of the technical platform (13.32%; n=4), easy access to the internet and scientific journals (10%; n=3). The surgical simulator, surgical training in animals, and surgical tutoring during the course are the practical teaching methods to be promoted according to the training manager. In conclusion, our study has enabled us to form an opinion on the training of doctors in the context of specialisation in Guinea, and to highlight what has been achieved and what needs to be improved in order to maintain the quality of teaching.