Non-oncologist Physician Knowledge of Radiation Therapy at an Urban Community Hospital

Radiation therapy (RT) is a crucial part of cancer care, but previous work suggests that many non-radiation oncologist physicians are uncomfortable referring for RT. To evaluate training and understanding of RT, the authors sent invitations to complete an online questionnaire to all physicians at a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cancer education 2021-02, Vol.36 (1), p.199-206
Main Authors: Siau, Evan, Salazar, Hernando, Livergant, Jonathan, Klein, Jonathan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cancer
Cancer Research
Internal Medicine
Medical referrals
Oncology
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Physicians
Radiation therapy
Radiology
Referral
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Summary:Radiation therapy (RT) is a crucial part of cancer care, but previous work suggests that many non-radiation oncologist physicians are uncomfortable referring for RT. To evaluate training and understanding of RT, the authors sent invitations to complete an online questionnaire to all physicians at a community hospital in Bronx, NY, which asked about oncology training and self-rated and objective knowledge of RT. Out of 247 invited participants, 87 responded (35%). Among responders, 19 were attending physicians (22%) and 66 (76%) were residents. Seventy-two percent of respondents reported caring for > 5 cancer patients in the past month, but 54% reported never referring patients for RT. Sixty-nine percent of respondents stated they received no radiation oncology training in medical school, and 36% reported no general oncology training. Approximately half believed themselves to be “somewhat knowledgeable” about RT indications (48%), benefits (53%), and side effects (55%). Objective assessment mean score was 6.2/12 (median 7) for all respondents; Respondents with internal medicine specialization scored higher than others (mean 7.7 vs 3.5; p  
ISSN:0885-8195
1543-0154
DOI:10.1007/s13187-019-01618-y