Developing an educational "hub": impact of a distance-learning curriculum in a multinational cohort

• Published in: BMC medical education 2024-04, Vol.24 (1), p.406-406, Article 406
• Main Authors: Balbach, Meridith L, Neely, Grantly, Yorke, Afua, Figueroa-Medina, Evangelina, Paly, Jonathan, Shulman, Rebecca M, Dempsey, Claire, Shulman, Adam, Biancia, Cesar Della, Cutrer, William B, Li, Benjamin C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cancer; Cancer therapies; Clinics; Confidence; Continuing medical education; Core curriculum; Correlation; Curricula; Curriculum; Curriculum development; Curriculum Implementation; Demographic aspects; Disparities; Economic aspects; Education; Education, Distance; Educational Resources; Educational Status; Educational Technology; Feedback; Global health; Health care disparities; Humans; Instructional Materials; Intensity-modulated radiotherapy; International economic relations; Internet service providers; Item Analysis; Knowledge; Likert Scales; Measurement Techniques; Medical education; Multiple choice; Multiple Choice Tests; Needs Assessment; Oncology; Outcomes of Treatment; Participation; Patient outcomes; Physical Examination; Physicists; Physics; Python; Quality Assurance; Quality Control; Radiation; Radiation oncology; Radiation therapy; Radiology; Radiotherapy; Regression (Statistics); Resistance (Psychology); Self Evaluation (Individuals); Social aspects; Statistical Analysis; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Videoconferencing; World health
• ISSN: 1472-6920; 1472-6920
• DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05193-9

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. 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. 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