Improving Medical Education in Oncology: Enhancing Students' Understanding of Cancer Treatments Through Multidisciplinary Clinical Rotations.

Fiche publication

Date publication

janvier 2025

Journal

Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education

Auteurs

Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr MERROUCHE Yacine , Pr PAPATHANASSIOU Dimitri , Dr VIGNOT Stéphane

Tous les auteurs :
Beddok A, Bouazzi L, Barbe C, Martin P, Gratiaux J, Guilbert P, Job L, Lemoine A, Morland D, Papathanassiou D, Perin S, Merrouche Y, Nifosi G, Soibinet P, Vignot S, Hotton J

Lien Pubmed

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39871049

Résumé

Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, requiring physicians to understand multidisciplinary treatments. This study assessed the impact of a clinical rotation in a cancer center on medical students' knowledge of cancer treatments from a multidisciplinary perspective. A traditional single-department rotation was compared to a multidisciplinary rotation to determine whether broader exposure enhances knowledge and prepares students for multidisciplinary care. This prospective, comparative study was conducted between April and September 2024 at Institut Godinot, a regional cancer center. Medical students were divided into two groups: Group A (traditional model), where students remained in a single department, and Group B (multidisciplinary model), where students rotated through pharmacy, medical oncology, nuclear medicine, radiology, radiotherapy, and surgery. Knowledge acquisition was assessed using a 20-item multiple-choice questionnaire before and after the rotation, with scores out of 20 representing oncology knowledge. Among the 40 students rotating during the inclusion period, 28 (70%) completed both pre- and post-rotation assessments and were included in the analysis. A total of 13 students were in Group A and 15 in Group B. Students in Group B showed greater improvement in post-rotation scores (14.4 ± 1.7 vs. 11.4 ± 4.2, p = 0.06). Group B also had a larger increase in their score (1.9 ± 1.9 points vs. - 0.9 ± 5.3 points, p = 0.07). Multidisciplinary rotations improved students' understanding of oncology, suggesting this model should be expanded and further evaluated for its long-term impact on clinical competency.