%0 Journal Article %@ 2369-3762 %I JMIR Publications %V 11 %N %P e63655 %T Multidisciplinary Oncology Education Among Postgraduate Trainees: Systematic Review %A Tahmasebi,Houman %A Ko,Gary %A Lam,Christine M %A Bilgen,Idil %A Freeman,Zachary %A Varghese,Rhea %A Reel,Emma %A Englesakis,Marina %A Cil,Tulin D %K multidisciplinary %K oncology %K postgraduate medical education %K resident %K fellow %K surgery %K hematology %K radiation oncology %K geriatrics %K palliative %D 2025 %7 26.5.2025 %9 %J JMIR Med Educ %G English %X Background: Understanding the roles and patient management approaches of the entire oncology team is imperative for effective communication and optimal cancer treatment. Currently, there is no standard residency or fellowship curriculum to ensure the delivery of fundamental knowledge and skills associated with oncology specialties with which trainees often collaborate. Objective: This study is a systematic review that aims to evaluate the multidisciplinary oncology education in postgraduate medical training. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane CENTRAL, APA PsycINFO, and Education Resources Information Center in July 2021. Updates were performed in February 2023 and October 2024. Original studies reporting the effectiveness of multidisciplinary oncology training among residents and fellows were included. Results: A total of 6991 studies were screened and 24 were included. Fifteen studies analyzed gaps in existing multidisciplinary training of residents and fellows from numerous fields, including surgical, medical, and radiation oncology; geriatrics; palliative medicine; radiology; and pathology programs. Trainees reported limited teaching and knowledge of oncology outside of their respective fields and endorsed the need for further multidisciplinary oncology training. The remaining 9 studies assessed the effectiveness of educational interventions, including tumor boards, didactic sessions, clinical rotations, and case-based learning. Trainees reported significant improvements in multidisciplinary oncology knowledge and skills following the interventions. Conclusions: These data suggest postgraduate medical trainees have limited formal multidisciplinary oncology training. Existing educational interventions show promising results in improving trainees’ oncology knowledge and skills. There is a need for further research and the development of multidisciplinary oncology curricula for postgraduate medical training programs. Trial Registration: PROSPERO CRD42022271308; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42022271308 %R 10.2196/63655 %U https://mededu.jmir.org/2025/1/e63655 %U https://doi.org/10.2196/63655 %0 Journal Article %@ 2369-1999 %I JMIR Publications %V 10 %N %P e52501 %T Web-Based Scaffolds: The Feasibility of a Constructivist Approach to Oncology Fellow Learning %A Brondfield,Sam %A Schwede,Matthew %A Johnson,Tyler P %A Arora,Shagun %+ Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, Room M1286, Box 1270, San Francisco, CA, 94143, United States, 1 4155144783, sam.brondfield@ucsf.edu %K constructivist learning %K scaffolded learning %K graduate medical education %K fellowship training %K oncology %K feasibility %K medical education %K pilot study %K study %K online learning %K online tool %K online tools %K remote learning %K e-learning %K training %K cancer %D 2024 %7 23.2.2024 %9 Research Letter %J JMIR Cancer %G English %X In this 2-institution feasibility pilot, oncology fellows used and updated freely available web-based learning tools (scaffolds) in a constructivist fashion. %M 38393780 %R 10.2196/52501 %U https://cancer.jmir.org/2024/1/e52501 %U https://doi.org/10.2196/52501 %U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38393780 %0 Journal Article %@ 2369-3762 %I JMIR Publications %V 9 %N %P e48263 %T Benefits of Mentoring in Oncology Education for Mentors and Mentees: Pre-Post Interventional Study of the British Oncology Network for Undergraduate Societies' National Oncology Mentorship Scheme %A Fulton-Ward,Taylor %A Bain,Robert %A Khoury,Emma G %A Keshwara,Sumirat M %A Joseph,Prince Josiah S %A Selby,Peter %A Millward,Christopher P %+ Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom, 44 1214143481, txf748@student.bham.ac.uk %K mentoring %K medical education %K oncology %K medical student %K teaching %K undergraduate %K graduate %K student %K cancer %K mentor %K mentee %K mentors %K mentees %D 2023 %7 11.9.2023 %9 Original Paper %J JMIR Med Educ %G English %X Background: Formal education of oncology is lacking in many undergraduate medical curricula. Mentoring schemes can expose participants to specific areas of medicine and may address the shortfalls in oncology education. Few mentoring schemes have been designed within the United Kingdom, especially within oncology. There is a need to understand reasons for mentor and mentee participation in such schemes and to identify ways to minimize barriers to engagement. Objective: This study identifies motivations for participation in an oncology mentoring scheme and its benefits and limitations to both the mentee and the mentor. Methods: The British Oncology Network for Undergraduate Societies launched a National Oncology Mentorship Scheme (NOMS) on September 1, 2021. Mentees (medical student or foundation doctor) were paired with mentors (specialty registrar or consultant), for 6 months of mentoring. In total, 86 mentors and 112 mentees were recruited to the scheme. The mentees and mentors were asked to meet at least 3 times during this period and suggestions were provided on the content of mentoring. Mentees and mentors were invited to complete a prescheme questionnaire, exploring motivations for involvement in the scheme, current experiences within oncology, and knowledge and interests in the field. At the end of the scheme, mentors and mentees were asked to complete a postscheme questionnaire exploring experiences and benefits or limitations of participation. Paired analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. For free text data, content analysis was applied to summarize the main themes in the data. Results: Of the 66 (59%) mentees who completed the prescheme questionnaire, 41 (62%) were clinical, 21 (32%) preclinical medical students, and the remainder were junior doctors. For mentees, networking was the primary reason for joining the scheme (n=25, 38%). Mentees ranked experience of oncology at medical school at 3 on 10 (IQR 2-5). In this, 46 (53%) mentors completed the prescheme questionnaire, 35 (76%) were registrar level, and the remainder were consultant level (n=11). The most common reason for mentor participation was to increase awareness and interest in the field (n=29, 63%). Of those who completed the prescheme questionnaire, 23 (35%) mentees and 25 (54%) mentors completed the postscheme questionnaire. Knowledge in all areas of oncology assessed significantly increased during the scheme (P<.001). Most mentees (n=21, 91%) and mentors (n=18, 72%) felt they had benefited from the scheme. Mentees cited gaining insights into oncology as most beneficial; and mentors, opportunities to develop professionally. Whilst mentees did not report any barriers to participating in the scheme, mentors stated lack of time as the greatest barrier to mentoring. Conclusions: British Oncology Network for Undergraduate Societies’ NOMS is expanding and is beneficial for mentees through increasing knowledge, providing exposure, and career advice in oncology. Mentors benefit from improving their mentoring skills and personal satisfaction. %M 37695662 %R 10.2196/48263 %U https://mededu.jmir.org/2023/1/e48263 %U https://doi.org/10.2196/48263 %U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37695662 %0 Journal Article %@ 1929-0748 %I JMIR Publications %V 11 %N 4 %P e35543 %T Effectiveness of Individual Feedback and Coaching on Shared Decision-making Consultations in Oncology Care: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial %A van Veenendaal,Haske %A Peters,Loes J %A Ubbink,Dirk T %A Stubenrouch,Fabienne E %A Stiggelbout,Anne M %A Brand,Paul LP %A Vreugdenhil,Gerard %A Hilders,Carina GJM %+ Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, Rotterdam, 3000 DR, Netherlands, 31 651952029, haskevanveenendaal@gmail.com %K decision-making %K shared %K education %K professional %K feedback learning %K coaching %K medical consultation %K medical oncology %K palliative care %D 2022 %7 6.4.2022 %9 Protocol %J JMIR Res Protoc %G English %X Background: Shared decision-making (SDM) is particularly important in oncology as many treatments involve serious side effects, and treatment decisions involve a trade-off between benefits and risks. However, the implementation of SDM in oncology care is challenging, and clinicians state that it is difficult to apply SDM in their actual workplace. Training clinicians is known to be an effective means of improving SDM but is considered time consuming. Objective: This study aims to address the effectiveness of an individual SDM training program using the concept of deliberate practice. Methods: This multicenter, single-blinded randomized clinical trial will be performed at 12 Dutch hospitals. Clinicians involved in decisions with oncology patients will be invited to participate in the study and allocated to the control or intervention group. All clinicians will record 3 decision-making processes with 3 different oncology patients. Clinicians in the intervention group will receive the following SDM intervention: completing e-learning, reflecting on feedback reports, performing a self-assessment and defining 1 to 3 personal learning questions, and participating in face-to-face coaching. Clinicians in the control group will not receive the SDM intervention until the end of the study. The primary outcome will be the extent to which clinicians involve their patients in the decision-making process, as scored using the Observing Patient Involvement–5 instrument. As secondary outcomes, patients will rate their perceived involvement in decision-making, and the duration of the consultations will be registered. All participating clinicians and their patients will receive information about the study and complete an informed consent form beforehand. Results: This trial was retrospectively registered on August 03, 2021. Approval for the study was obtained from the ethical review board (medical research ethics committee Delft and Leiden, the Netherlands [N20.170]). Recruitment and data collection procedures are ongoing and are expected to be completed by July 2022; we plan to complete data analyses by December 2022. As of February 2022, a total of 12 hospitals have been recruited to participate in the study, and 30 clinicians have started the SDM training program. Conclusions: This theory-based and blended approach will increase our knowledge of effective and feasible training methods for clinicians in the field of SDM. The intervention will be tailored to the context of individual clinicians and will target the knowledge, attitude, and skills of clinicians. The patients will also be involved in the design and implementation of the study. Trial Registration: Netherlands Trial Registry NL9647; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/9647 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/35543 %M 35383572 %R 10.2196/35543 %U https://www.researchprotocols.org/2022/4/e35543 %U https://doi.org/10.2196/35543 %U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35383572 %0 Journal Article %@ 2369-1999 %I JMIR Publications %V 7 %N 3 %P e27854 %T Nursing Student Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Patients With Cancer After Education and Mentoring: Integrative Review %A Hedenstrom,Margot Lisa %A Sneha,Sweta %A Nalla,Anusha %A Wilson,Barbara %+ Wellstar School of Nursing, Wellstar College of Health Sciences, Kennesaw State University, 520 Parliament Garden Way, Rm 3114 MD 4102, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, United States, 1 470 578 7969, mhedenst@kennesaw.edu %K nursing students %K nurse %K cancer %K attitudes %K health care professionals %K nursing %K cancer patients %K oncology %K patient support %K continuing education %K mentoring %D 2021 %7 24.9.2021 %9 Review %J JMIR Cancer %G English %X Background: Knowledge about nursing student attitudes toward patients with cancer after an educational intervention and mentoring support is limited. This review examined the literature on this topic. Objective: This integrative review aims to explore the literature on the experiences of students who participate in an oncology elective or educational course on cancer and their attitudes toward cancer. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, and MEDLINE databases. Each study was systematically assessed. An evidence table was completed to identify the key aspects of each study that was reviewed. Results: There is insufficient information on the impact of nursing student education on the attitudes and skills of nursing students caring for patients with cancer. An integrative review was completed on the impact of education and mentoring for nursing students on cancer care, which yielded 10 studies that were reviewed. These studies indicate that educational intervention and mentoring improve the confidence and ability of nursing students to care for patients with cancer. Conclusions: Student nurses need to be armed with knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes while caring for patients with cancer. Nursing students perform best when they have accurate information, positive role models, and mentoring by experienced oncology professionals, to support proficiency in caring for patients with cancer. The lack of knowledge of nursing students in the areas of cancer care, treatment, and patient support requires additional education and research to promote expertise and positive attitudes toward cancer and treating patients with cancer. This will support nursing students’ ability to care for patients with cancer as well as develop future educational interventions to shape nursing student attitude and knowledge. This integrative review also identifies the positive impact on the attitudes of other health care professionals who have received training or education on cancer. %M 34559056 %R 10.2196/27854 %U https://cancer.jmir.org/2021/3/e27854 %U https://doi.org/10.2196/27854 %U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34559056 %0 Journal Article %@ 2369-3762 %I JMIR Publications %V 4 %N 1 %P e6 %T The Impact of a Small Private Online Course as a New Approach to Teaching Oncology: Development and Evaluation %A Vaysse,Charlotte %A Chantalat,Elodie %A Beyne-Rauzy,Odile %A Morineau,Louise %A Despas,Fabien %A Bachaud,Jean-Marc %A Caunes,Nathalie %A Poublanc,Muriel %A Serrano,Elie %A Bugat,Roland %A Rougé Bugat,Marie-Eve %A Fize,Anne-Laure %+ Surgery Oncology Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Institut Universitaire du Cancer de Toulouse-Oncopole, 1 avenue Irène Joliot Curie, Toulouse, 31059, France, 33 531155384, charlotte.vaysse@gmail.com %K oncology %K health education %K continuing education %K e-learning %K SPOC %K small private online course %K education, medical %K education, medical, continuing %D 2018 %7 05.03.2018 %9 Original Paper %J JMIR Med Educ %G English %X Background: Oncology involves complex care and multidisciplinary management of patients; however, misinformation and ineffective communication remain problematic. Objective: The educational objective of our study was to develop a new teaching method to improve cancer treatment and management by emphasizing the link between hospitals (inpatients) and their surrounding communities (outpatients). Methods: A team of 22 professionals from public and private institutions developed a small private online course (SPOC). Each offering of the course lasted 6 weeks and covered 6 topics: individual health care plans, cancer surgery, ionizing radiation, cancer medicines, clinical research, and oncological supportive care. For participants in the course, we targeted people working in the cancer field. The SPOC used an active teaching method with collaborative and multidisciplinary learning. A final examination was offered in each session. We evaluated participants’ satisfaction rate through a questionnaire and the success of the SPOC by participants’ completion, success, and commitment rates. Results: Of the total participants (N=1574), 446 completed the evaluation form. Most participants were aged 31 to 45 years. Participants included 56 nurses, 131 pharmacists, 80 from the medical field (including 26 physicians), 53 from patients’ associations, 28 health teachers, and 13 students (medical and paramedical). Among the participants, 24.7% (90/446) had an independent medical practice, 38.5% (140/446) worked in a public institution, and 36.8% (134/446) worked in a private institution. After completing the SPOC sessions, 85.9% (384/446) thought they had learned new information, 90.8% (405/446) felt their expectations were met, and 90.4% (403/446) considered that the information had a positive impact on their professional practice. The completion rate was 35.51% (559/1574), the success rate was 71.47% (1025/1574), and the commitment rate was 64.67% (1018/1574). Concerning the cost effectiveness of SPOC compared with a traditional classroom of 25 students, online education became more effective when there were more than 950 participants. Conclusions: SPOCs improved the management of oncology patients. This new digital learning technique is an attractive concept to integrate into teaching practice. It offered optimal propagation of information and met the students’ expectations. %M 29506968 %R 10.2196/mededu.9185 %U http://mededu.jmir.org/2018/1/e6/ %U https://doi.org/10.2196/mededu.9185 %U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29506968 %0 Journal Article %@ 2369-3762 %I JMIR Publications %V 3 %N 2 %P e23 %T A Survey of Medical Oncology Training in Australian Medical Schools: Pilot Study %A George,Mathew %A Mandaliya,Hiren %A Prawira,Amy %+ Medical Oncology, North West Cancer Centre, Dean Street, Tamworth,, Australia, 61 413 918 973, hammandalia@gmail.com %K medical %K oncology %K training %K Australia %D 2017 %7 12.12.2017 %9 Original Paper %J JMIR Med Educ %G English %X Background: Oncology is a rapidly evolving field with continuous advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Therefore, it is important that medical students are provided with the knowledge and experience required to care for oncology patients and enable them to diagnose and manage toxicities of novel therapeutic agents. Objective: This study was performed to understand the medical students’ perspective of the oncology education provided in universities across Australia and identify areas of education that could potentially be modified or improved to ultimately attract more students to a career in oncology. Methods: This pilot cross-sectional study consisted of an 18-question survey that was submitted online to medical students in their final year and interns rotating to the Tamworth Hospital. Results: The survey was completed by 94 fifth-year medical students and interns. Oncology was taught both theoretically and clinically for 68% (63/93) of participants, and 48% (44/92) had an exclusive oncology rotation. Both theoretical and clinical oncology assessments were conducted for only 21% (19/92) of participants. Overall, 42% (38/91) of participants were satisfied with their oncology education, and 78% (40/51) were dissatisfied with the number of oncology teaching hours. The importance of a career in oncology was rated as low by 46% (41/90) of participants. Conclusions: This pilot study indicates that there are potential areas to improve oncology teaching in Australian universities. The majority of surveyed students were dissatisfied with the number of teaching hours they receive in oncology. More global assessment of students and/or interns from other Australian institutes may yield further useful information. %M 29233799 %R 10.2196/mededu.7903 %U http://mededu.jmir.org/2017/2/e23/ %U https://doi.org/10.2196/mededu.7903 %U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29233799