Benefits and Harms of Short-Term International Academic Experiences Among Rehabilitation Students: A Systematic Review

Objective. More rehabilitation students are engaging in short-term international experiences to gain clinical experience with a novel population or setting. Further investigation of the impacts on the students and host populations resulting from these initiatives is needed. The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits and harms of short-term international academic experiences completed by rehabilitation students for both the student and the host populations. Methods. PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL were searched for studies from 1998 through March 2019; any study design was eligible for review. Independent reviewers screened and selected studies. To be eligible, articles had to include a rehabilitation student participating in a short-term clinical or community-based experience. Two independent reviewers extracted data from included studies. Outcomes included benefits and harms of international academic experiences on students and host populations. Oxford Level of Evidence was used for quality assessment. Nineteen studies met eligibility criteria. Results. The most prevalent benefits and harms to students were increases in cultural and clinical competence and emotional health risks. The most prevalent benefits and harms to hosts were novel training and decreased productivity. Conclusions. Highlighting benefits and harms serves a pivotal role in investigating ways to create more effective, mutually beneficial relationships between home and host populations. Future research should aim for a deeper analysis of the impact of short-term international academic experiences on host populations to develop and deepen sustainable partnerships. Impact. With more rehabilitation students engaging in short-term international academic experiences, this review provides important guidance for the profession, including the recommendation that outcomes regarding the potential benefits and harms for home and host populations should be collected at 3 key times: immediately pre-departure for the host country, immediately post-departure in the home country, and 1-year post-arrival in the home country.