Crowdsourcing to support training for public health: A scoping review

Kadija M. Tahlil, Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
Ucheoma Nwaozuru, Department of Implementation Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America.
Donaldson F. Conserve, Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America.
Ujunwa F. Onyeama, Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
Victor Ojo, Clinical Sciences Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria.
Suzanne Day, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
Jason J. Ong, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Weiming Tang, Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
Nora E. Rosenberg, Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
Titi Gbajabiamila, Clinical Sciences Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria.
Susan Nkengasong, Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
Chisom Obiezu-Umeh, Department of Behavioral Science & Health Education, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
David Oladele, Clinical Sciences Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria.
Juliet Iwelunmor, Department of Behavioral Science & Health Education, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Oliver Ezechi, Clinical Sciences Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria.
Joseph D. Tucker, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1-1-2023

Journal

PLOS global public health

Volume

3

Issue

7

DOI

10.1371/journal.pgph.0002202

Abstract

Crowdsourcing is an interactive process that has a group of individuals attempt to solve all or part of a problem and then share solutions with the public. Crowdsourcing is increasingly used to enhance training through developing learning materials and promoting mentorship. This scoping review aims to assess the literature on crowdsourcing for training in public health. We searched five medical and public health research databases using terms related to crowdsourcing and training. For this review, the concept of crowdsourcing included open calls, designathons, and other activities. We used a PRISMA checklist for scoping reviews. Each full-text was assessed by two independent reviewers. We identified 4,071 citations, and 74 studies were included in the scoping review. This included one study in a low-income country, 15 studies in middle-income countries, 35 studies in high-income countries, and 11 studies conducted in multiple countries of varying income levels (the country income level for 12 studies could not be ascertained). Nine studies used open calls, 35 used a hackathon, designathon or other "a-thon" event, and 30 used other crowdsourcing methods, such as citizen science programs and online creation platforms. In terms of crowdsourcing purpose, studies used crowdsourcing to educate participants (20 studies), develop learning materials (17 studies), enhance mentorship (13 studies) and identify trainees (9 studies). Fifteen studies used crowdsourcing for more than one training purpose. Thirty-four studies were done in-person, 31 were conducted virtually and nine used both meeting options for their crowdsourcing events. Seventeen studies generated open access materials. Our review found that crowdsourcing has been increasingly used to support public health training. This participatory approach can be a useful tool for training in a variety of settings and populations. Future research should investigate the impact of crowdsourcing on training outcomes.

Department

Prevention and Community Health

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