Abstract:
Background Adolescent medicine (AM) has been increasingly recognized as critically important to the health of individuals during
their transition to adulthood. On a global scale, AM is often underprioritized and underfunded. In low- and middle-income
countries (LMICs), education and AM training is developing, and AM physicians often are from general medicine backgrounds.
Objective The objective of our scoping review was to identify existing training curricula and educational tools designed to teach
AM skills to health care workers in LMICs.
Methods We followed PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews for article identification and inclusion. Online databases, including
MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus, were used to identify papers. We included studies that took place in a LMIC, were
available in English, and described any of the following: published educational curricula in AM, education-based intervention for
HCWs that focused on AM, or a training opportunity in AM located in a LMIC.
Results Our review includes 14 publications: 5 published curricula and 9 articles describing educational interventions or training
opportunities in AM in LMICs. Curricula were relatively consistent in the topics included, although they varied in implementation
and teaching strategies. The scholarly articles described educational materials and identified a number of innovative strategies for
training programs.
Conclusions Our review found existing high-quality AM curricula designed for LMICs. However, there is limited published data on
their implementation and utilization. There is a continued need for funding and implementation of education in AM in resourceconstrained
settings.
