Assessment of Cancer Survivorship Training and Knowledge Among Resident Physicians in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Abstract

The number of gynecologic cancer survivors in the USA is expected to grow to nearly 2 million by 2029. Gynecologic oncologists alone will not be able to care for all of these women. Thus, preparation of general obstetrician/gynecologists (OBGYNs) to deliver this care is crucial. Our objective was to assess cancer survivorship training (CST) among OB/GYN residents and to evaluate knowledge in basic gynecologic cancer survivorship. OB/GYN residents were recruited nationally to complete a de novo questionnaire, querying demographics, hours of CST received, teaching methods used, and efficacy of those methods. Survivorship knowledge was assessed by ten questions based on the 2017 Society of Gynecologic Oncology recommendations on post-treatment surveillance, which includes topics appropriate for generalists. Analyses were done using t tests and ANOVA, with significance set at p = 0.05. In total, 128 residents responded to the survey. Observation was the most common method of CST (53%), with patient contact reported as the most effective method (42.6%). The mean score of correct responses (MSCRs) among all respondents was 61.5%. MSCR significantly improved with increasing post-graduate year (PGY) (p = 0.003). Survivorship training method was not associated with improved MSCR. Improvements in MSCR were observed with an increasing number of CST hours (p = 0.011). A total of 13.9% of residents reported feeling "very comfortable" with survivorship care, yet 88.5% of respondents indicated they did not want additional CST. More hours of CST are associated with improved resident in knowledge in cancer survivorship care, though deficits still remain. Further investigation into optimizing CST is warranted.