A survey of the educational environment for oncologists as perceived by surgical oncology professionals in India

• Authors: Chandrakanth Are, University of Nebraska Medical Center; Madhuri Are, University of Nebraska Medical Center; Hemanth Raj, Cancer Institute (WIA), India; Vijayakumar Manavalan, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology; Lois Colburn, University of Nebraska Medical Center; Hugh Stoddard, Emory University
• Journal Title: World Journal of Surgical Oncology
• Volume: Volume 10
• Publisher: BioMed Central | 2012-01-23, Pages 18-18
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7819-10-18
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Education; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery; Health Sciences, Oncology
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Oncology; Surgery; Education; perceptions; survey; India; DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES; CANCER; RISK

Abstract

Background: The 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. Methods: An 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. Results: A 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. Conclusions: The 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.