Abstract
Peripheral arterial disease is prevalent in East Africa, yet training in vascular surgery remains limited due to a shortage of specialists. To bridge this gap, an 8-week virtual lecture series designed by vascular surgeons from the University of British Columbia for cardiothoracic surgery trainees in Kenya was introduced. This study evaluates the series' effectiveness in enhancing trainees' knowledge, confidence, and interest in vascular surgery. An 8-session online course covering key vascular topics was delivered to thoracic and cardiovascular surgery residents at the University of Nairobi. A 24-question post-series survey, using a 5-point Likert scale and one open-ended item, assessed perceived gains in clinical competence, confidence, applicability to practice, and format effectiveness. Descriptive analysis was used. Eighteen residents (60% response rate) completed the survey. The majority reported significant improvements in understanding and managing vascular conditions, with 70% agreement across all topic-specific questions. Notably, 100% felt more confident in endovascular Peripheral artery disease (PAD) management and intended to integrate learned content into clinical practice. The remote format was well received (82.4% approval), and all respondents expressed interest in further virtual training, particularly on PAD and open aortic surgeries. This virtual initiative effectively addressed key educational gaps in vascular surgery for Kenyan trainees, proving to be a scalable, low-cost model for surgical education in low-resource settings. Future curricula should incorporate objective assessments and broaden thematic scope to sustain engagement and clinical impact.
Key words: Vascular surgery education, virtual learning, peripheral arterial disease, low-resource settings, surgical training, Kenya.
