Annually, groups of health professionals from high‐income countries are drawn to work in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) through timed engagements intended to improve the well‐being of people in most disadvantaged communities. The existing evidence on understanding volunteer experience in LMICs often focuses on activities within the medical discipline; whereas little research has been conducted on the experiences of volunteers in other disciplines. This paper focuses on understanding veterinary and public health professional's experiences conducting disease surveillance work in Northern Uganda. Forty US‐based health care professionals were recruited to complete multiple‐choice and open‐ended questions to understand prior and current experiences working in resource‐limited settings. Responses were coded using NVivo 10®, qualitative analysis package. Of the 44 volunteers, 50% completed the questionnaire. Responses were largely positive towards surveillance activities; they reported personal and professional gains, new cultural experiences and mutual learning environment with local colleagues. Nevertheless, respondents highlighted challenges during various stages of program implementation—some difficulty with program logistics, inadequacy of preparation materials, in addition to concerns inherent to working in a resource‐limited environment. This assessment suggests that international volunteer work could positively influence programmatic outcomes, personal experiences, furthering health organizational goals, often achieved in a limited time‐frame. To maximize volunteer impact, these assessments are critical and suggest that volunteer and institutional capacities should be seriously considered when planning placement as it can influence programmatic decision‐making, gauge training needs and volunteer readiness.

中文翻译：

---

在资源有限的环境中对疾病监测活动的定性评估：在乌干达北部工作的志愿者的看法和看法。

每年，都会通过定时参与吸引来自高收入国家的卫生专业人员团体在低收入和中等收入国家（LMIC）工作，目的是改善大多数处境不利社区的人们的福祉。关于了解中低收入国家志愿者经验的现有证据通常集中在医学学科内的活动上。而对于其他学科志愿者的经验却鲜有研究。本文着重于了解兽医和公共卫生专业人员在乌干达北部开展疾病监测工作的经验。招募了40名美国医疗保健专业人员来完成多项选择题和开放式问题，以了解在资源有限的环境中以前和当前的工作经验。使用NVivo10®对响应进行编码，定性分析包。在44名志愿者中，有50％完成了问卷。对监测活动的反应在很大程度上是积极的；他们报告了个人和专业上的收获，新的文化经验以及与当地同事的相互学习环境。不过，受访者强调了计划实施各个阶段的挑战-计划后勤方面的一些困难，准备材料不足，以及在资源有限的环境中工作所固有的担忧。该评估表明，国际志愿人员工作可以积极影响计划成果，个人经历，促进卫生组织的目标，而这些目标通常是在有限的时间范围内实现的。为了最大限度地发挥志愿者的影响力，