Abstract
BackgroundThe current educational environment may need enhancement to tackle the rising cancer burden in India. The aim of this study was to conduct a survey of Surgical Oncologists to identify their perceptions of the current state of Oncology education in India.MethodsAn Institutional Review Board approved questionnaire was developed to target the audience of the 2009 annual meeting of the Indian Association of Surgical Oncology in India. The survey collected demographic information and asked respondents to provide their opinions about Oncology education in India.ResultsA total of 205 out of 408 attendee's participated in the survey with a 42.7% response rate. The majority of respondents felt that Oncology education was poor to fair during medical school (75%), residency (56%) and for practicing physicians (71%). The majority of participants also felt that the quality of continuing medical education was poor and that minimal emphasis was placed on evidence based medicine.ConclusionsThe results of our survey demonstrate that the majority of respondents feel that the current educational environment for Oncology in India should be enhanced. The study identified perceptions of several gaps and needs, which can be the targets for implementing measures to enhance the training of Oncology professionals.
Highlights
The current educational environment may need enhancement to tackle the rising cancer burden in India
There were a total of 220 surveys that were collected from 480 attendees at the Indian Association of Surgical Oncology (IASO) meeting (120 via Survey Monkey and 88 via print format)
To address the Oncology education needs of physicians in India, any changes or enhancements should start from feedback from Oncology professionals in the country
Summary
The current educational environment may need enhancement to tackle the rising cancer burden in India. The report estimated that in 2008 there will be 12 million new cases, 7 million deaths and 25 million persons living with cancer within five years of diagnosis [1]. By 2030, it is estimated that there will be 26 million new cases diagnosed annually. This increase in the global cancer burden will be mainly due to a disproportionate rise of newly diagnosed cancer cases in the developing countries such as India. China and Russia are predicted to account for more than half (53%) of the cancer cases and 60% of the cancerrelated deaths [1].
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