Developing an educational "hub" : impact of a distance-learning curriculum in a multinational cohort
© 2024. The Author(s)..
PURPOSE: To address a gap in radiation oncology education in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), we sought to evaluate the effectiveness and generalizability of a refined curriculum on intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) offered to existing radiation therapy (RT) clinics across Africa and Latin America (LATAM) at no cost.
METHODS: A curriculum was created based on prior needs assessments and adapted for participating medical physicists, radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, and trainees in LMICs. English-speaking and Spanish-speaking teams of volunteer educators delivered 27 hour-long sessions 1-2 times weekly for 4 months using video conferencing to African and LATAM cohorts, respectively. Pre- and post-course multiple-choice examinations were administered to LATAM participants, and pre- and post-course self-confidence (1-5 Likert-scale) and open-ended feedback were collected from all participants.
RESULTS: Twenty-five centers across Africa (13) and LATAM (12) participated, yielding a total of 332 enrolled participants (128 African, 204 LATAM). Sessions were delivered with a mean of 44 (22.5) and 85 (25.4) participants in the African and LATAM programs, respectively. Paired pre and post-course data demonstrated significant (p < 0.001) improvement in knowledge from 47.9 to 89.6% and self-confidence across four domains including foundations (+ 1.1), commissioning (+ 1.3), contouring (+ 1.7), and treatment planning (+ 1.0). Attendance was a significant predictor of change in self-confidence in "high attendance" participants only, suggesting a threshold effect. Qualitative data demonstrates that participants look forward to applying their knowledge in the clinical setting.
CONCLUSION: A specialized radiation oncology curriculum adapted for LMIC audiences was effective for both African and LATAM participants. Participant feedback suggests that the refined IMRT course empowered clinics with knowledge and confidence to help train others. This feasible "Hub and Spokes" approach in which a distance-learning course establishes a hub to be leveraged by spokes (learners) may be generalizable to others aiming to reduce global health care disparities through training efforts.
| Medienart: |
E-Artikel |
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| Erscheinungsjahr: |
2024 |
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| Erschienen: |
2024 |
| Enthalten in: |
Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:24 |
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| Enthalten in: |
BMC medical education - 24(2024), 1 vom: 12. Apr., Seite 406 |
| Sprache: |
Englisch |
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| Beteiligte Personen: |
Balbach, Meridith L [VerfasserIn] |
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| Links: |
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| Themen: |
Cancer |
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| Anmerkungen: |
Date Completed 15.04.2024 Date Revised 25.04.2024 published: Electronic Citation Status MEDLINE |
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| doi: |
10.1186/s12909-024-05193-9 |
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| funding: |
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| Förderinstitution / Projekttitel: |
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NLM370993160 |
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| 520 | |a © 2024. The Author(s). | ||
| 520 | |a PURPOSE: To address a gap in radiation oncology education in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), we sought to evaluate the effectiveness and generalizability of a refined curriculum on intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) offered to existing radiation therapy (RT) clinics across Africa and Latin America (LATAM) at no cost | ||
| 520 | |a METHODS: A curriculum was created based on prior needs assessments and adapted for participating medical physicists, radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, and trainees in LMICs. English-speaking and Spanish-speaking teams of volunteer educators delivered 27 hour-long sessions 1-2 times weekly for 4 months using video conferencing to African and LATAM cohorts, respectively. Pre- and post-course multiple-choice examinations were administered to LATAM participants, and pre- and post-course self-confidence (1-5 Likert-scale) and open-ended feedback were collected from all participants | ||
| 520 | |a RESULTS: Twenty-five centers across Africa (13) and LATAM (12) participated, yielding a total of 332 enrolled participants (128 African, 204 LATAM). Sessions were delivered with a mean of 44 (22.5) and 85 (25.4) participants in the African and LATAM programs, respectively. Paired pre and post-course data demonstrated significant (p < 0.001) improvement in knowledge from 47.9 to 89.6% and self-confidence across four domains including foundations (+ 1.1), commissioning (+ 1.3), contouring (+ 1.7), and treatment planning (+ 1.0). Attendance was a significant predictor of change in self-confidence in "high attendance" participants only, suggesting a threshold effect. Qualitative data demonstrates that participants look forward to applying their knowledge in the clinical setting | ||
| 520 | |a CONCLUSION: A specialized radiation oncology curriculum adapted for LMIC audiences was effective for both African and LATAM participants. Participant feedback suggests that the refined IMRT course empowered clinics with knowledge and confidence to help train others. This feasible "Hub and Spokes" approach in which a distance-learning course establishes a hub to be leveraged by spokes (learners) may be generalizable to others aiming to reduce global health care disparities through training efforts | ||
| 650 | 4 | |a Journal Article | |
| 650 | 4 | |a Continuing medical education | |
| 650 | 4 | |a Disparities | |
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| 650 | 4 | |a Radiation oncology | |
| 650 | 4 | |a cancer | |
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| 700 | 1 | |a Paly, Jonathan |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Shulman, Rebecca M |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Dempsey, Claire |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
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| 700 | 1 | |a Cutrer, William B |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
| 700 | 1 | |a Li, Benjamin C |e verfasserin |4 aut | |
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