TY - JOUR
T1 - Developing an educational “hub”
T2 - impact of a distance-learning curriculum in a multinational cohort
AU - Balbach, Meridith L.
AU - Neely, Grantly
AU - Yorke, Afua
AU - Figueroa-Medina, Evangelina
AU - Paly, Jonathan
AU - Shulman, Rebecca M.
AU - Dempsey, Claire
AU - Shulman, Adam
AU - Biancia, Cesar Della
AU - Cutrer, William B.
AU - Li, Benjamin C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/3/12
Y1 - 2024/3/12
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - cancer
KW - Continuing medical education
KW - Disparities
KW - Global health
KW - Radiation oncology
KW - Humans
KW - Physical Examination
KW - Curriculum
KW - Education, Distance
KW - Educational Status
KW - Needs Assessment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85190277938&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12909-024-05193-9
DO - 10.1186/s12909-024-05193-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 38610008
AN - SCOPUS:85190277938
SN - 1472-6920
VL - 24
SP - 406
JO - BMC Medical Education
JF - BMC Medical Education
IS - 1
M1 - 406
ER -