The evaluation of a two-day interdisciplinary continuing education event in psychosocial oncology.

Abstract

The study evaluated the effectiveness of a two-day continuing education (CE) course developed to increase multidisciplinary oncology professionals' awareness of psychosocial issues and to equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary to identify psychosocial issues and intervene effectively. Attendees (n = 120) were asked to complete a pre- and 6-month postcourse questionnaire assessing psychosocial orientation using the Physician Belief Scale and the ability to identify psychosocial issues; they were also asked to suggest appropriate interventions based on five case vignettes. Sixty-nine (56%) participants returned the precourse questionnaire, and 42 (35%) returned the postcourse questionnaire. Psychosocial orientation increased significantly from precourse to postcourse (P = .03). Based on the five case vignettes, participants were able to identify significantly more psychosocial issues (10.5 vs. 7.7, P = .005) and suggest more interventions (12.6 vs. 8.7, P < .001) 6 months following the course. These findings support the effectiveness of a two-day CE course to improve oncology professionals' psychosocial orientation and ability to identify psychosocial issues and interventions.