Minding the Gap: Assessment of Radiation Oncology Knowledge in Primary Care Residents

Abstract

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge base of primary care residents in the state of Oklahoma regarding radiation oncology. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> For this study, primary care resident physicians were defined as those training in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine. Primary Care residency programs within the state of Oklahoma were identified through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) website. Residency programs were in both urban and rural communities. Program directors were contacted to set up a didactic session. A 1-hour lecture covering introductory topics in radiation oncology as well as case-based learning topics pertaining to radiation oncology in the primary care setting was delivered. Residents were given a pre- and post-lecture survey. Ten residency programs, with a total of 281 residents, extended an invitation for didactics. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, some programs requested that the lecture be delivered virtually. <h3>Results</h3> A total of 122 residents completed the pre-lecture survey; 51.6% were female, 41.7% were interns, 39.2% were second year residents, and 17.5% were third year residents. A total of 50.8% of respondents attended medical school in Oklahoma and 30.3% attended an allopathic medical school. Over half of trainees stated that they had no exposure to didactics covering radiation oncology during the pre-clinical years of medical school (66.1%). A similar number of residents (65.5%) stated that there were no structured radiation oncology rotations in medical school during clinical years. An overwhelming majority of residents felt that the pre-clinical curriculum did not adequately cover radiation oncology (95.9%). Residents reported that most training facilities had radiation oncology services at their disposal (73.3%); however, only 60.3% of residents had previously interacted with a radiation oncologist. When asked about their level of confidence in consulting a radiation oncologist, 63.6% of residents stated that they did not feel confident while 24% felt neutral, 12.4% felt somewhat confident, but none of the residents surveyed felt confident. Following the lecture, 63.3% of responding residents felt confident or somewhat confident consulting radiation oncology, while only 8.8% felt not confident. Additionally, 98.5% of respondents felt this lecture was beneficial to their resident education. <h3>Conclusion</h3> The majority of respondents felt medical school curriculum does not adequately cover radiation oncology. Nobody in the pre-lecture survey felt confident consulting a radiation oncologist. Most trainees felt this lecture was beneficial to their training. This study highlights a gap in medical knowledge and identifies areas of collaboration between radiation oncologists and primary care physicians regarding patient co-management.