Sharma Daya Nand, Rath Goura Kishor, Parashar Akhil, Singh Prashant
Department of Radiation Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi - 110 029, India.
J Cancer Res Ther. 2010 Jan-Mar;6(1):11-4. doi: 10.4103/0973-1482.63556.
The discipline of radiotherapy (RT) in India is considered a low priority subject. Postgraduate (PG) students rarely choose RT as a career option. The possible reasons could be: 1) limited availability of PG course training centers, 2) limited job prospects, etc. We decided to conduct a survey of undergraduate (UG) medical students to find out their awareness, understanding, and attitude toward the subject of RT.
A simple 12-point questionnaire was designed to assess the level of awareness, understanding, and attitude. It was handed over personally or sent by e-mail or post to UG students of various medical colleges in India. The data provided by respondents was analyzed.
During the period from January to June 2008, 400 questionnaires were distributed. A total of 155 respondents sent their responses. Twenty-eight of them (18%) opined that RT is not a part of the bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBBS) curriculum at their institute. About 84% replied that not more than 10 theory lectures/practical classes are assigned to RT during the entire UG period. About one-third of the respondents stated that there are no separate clinical postings for RT. According to 54% of the respondents, RT is still a low priority subject in the PG setting and the majority (70%) thought that inadequate exposure at the UG level and lack of awareness about the current prospects of RT are the main reasons for this.
The results of our survey indicate that the RT is still a low priority subject in India, mainly due to the poor exposure to the discipline and low awareness of the subject of RT during the UG program. The Medical Council of India (MCI) needs to ensure that adequate importance is given to RT in the MBBS curriculum so as to enhance awareness regarding the subject and increase exposure to this specialty.
在印度，放射治疗（RT）学科被视为低优先级学科。研究生（PG）很少选择RT作为职业选择。可能的原因包括：1）PG课程培训中心数量有限；2）就业前景有限等。我们决定对本科（UG）医学生进行一项调查，以了解他们对RT学科的认识、理解和态度。
设计了一份简单的12项问卷，以评估认识、理解和态度水平。问卷通过亲自发放、电子邮件或邮寄的方式分发给印度各医学院的UG学生。对受访者提供的数据进行了分析。
在2008年1月至6月期间，共发放了400份问卷。共有155名受访者回复。其中28人（18%）认为RT不是他们所在学院医学学士和外科学士（MBBS）课程的一部分。约84%的人回答说，在整个UG期间，分配给RT的理论讲座/实践课程不超过10节。约三分之一的受访者表示没有单独的RT临床实习安排。据54%的受访者称，在PG阶段，RT仍然是低优先级学科，大多数人（70%）认为UG阶段接触不足以及对RT当前前景缺乏了解是主要原因。
我们的调查结果表明，在印度，RT仍然是低优先级学科，主要原因是在UG课程中对该学科的接触较少以及对RT学科的认识不足。印度医学委员会（MCI）需要确保在MBBS课程中给予RT足够的重视，以提高对该学科的认识并增加对该专业的接触。
