Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation (IMPACCT), Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia; St. George Cancer Care Centre, St. George Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2022 Aug 1;113(5):934-945. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2022.04.030. Epub 2022 Apr 29.
The management of older adults with cancer is rapidly becoming a significant challenge in radiation oncology (RO) practice. The education of future radiation oncologists in geriatric oncology is fundamental to ensuring that older adults receive high-quality care. Currently RO trainees receive little training and education in geriatric oncology. The objective of this study was to define core geriatric RO curriculum learning outcomes relevant to RO trainees worldwide.
A 2-stage modified Delphi consensus was conducted. Stage 1 involved the formation of an expert reference panel (ERP) of multiprofessional experts in geriatric oncology and/or RO and the compilation of a potential geriatric RO learning outcomes set. Stage 2 involved 3 iterative rounds: round 1 and round 2 (both online surveys), and an intervening ERP round. These aimed at identifying and refining ideal geriatric RO learning outcomes. Invited participants for round 1 and 2 included oncology health care professionals with expertise across RO, geriatric oncology, and/or education and consumers. Predefined Delphi consensus definitions were applied to the results of rounds 1 and 2.
An ERP of 11 experts in geriatric oncology and/or RO was formed. Seventy potential knowledge- and skill-based learning outcomes were identified. In round 1, 103 of 179 invited eligible Delphi participants completed the survey (58% response rate). The ERP round was conducted, resulting in the exclusion of 28 learning outcomes. In round 2, 54 of 103 completed the survey (52% response rate). This identified a final total of 33 geriatric RO learning outcomes.
The geriatric RO learning outcomes described in this study form an international consensus that can inform RO training bodies worldwide. This represents the first fundamental step in developing a global educational framework aimed at improving RO trainee knowledge and skills in geriatric oncology.
老年人癌症的管理在放射肿瘤学（RO）实践中迅速成为一个重大挑战。老年肿瘤学教育对于确保老年人获得高质量的护理至关重要。目前，RO 学员在老年肿瘤学方面接受的培训和教育很少。本研究的目的是确定与全球 RO 学员相关的核心老年 RO 课程学习成果。
采用两阶段改良 Delphi 共识法。第 1 阶段涉及多专业老年肿瘤学和/或 RO 专家的专家参考小组（ERP）的形成，以及潜在老年 RO 学习成果集的编制。第 2 阶段包括 3 轮迭代：第 1 轮和第 2 轮（均为在线调查），以及一轮中间的 ERP 轮。这些旨在确定和完善理想的老年 RO 学习成果。第 1 轮和第 2 轮的受邀参与者包括在 RO、老年肿瘤学和/或教育和消费者方面具有专业知识的肿瘤学保健专业人员。第 1 轮和第 2 轮的结果应用了 Delphi 共识的预定义定义。
形成了一个由 11 名老年肿瘤学和/或 RO 专家组成的 ERP。确定了 70 个潜在的基于知识和技能的学习成果。在第 1 轮中，179 名受邀符合条件的 Delphi 参与者中有 103 人完成了调查（58%的响应率）。进行了 ERP 轮次，结果排除了 28 个学习成果。在第 2 轮中，103 名完成调查的参与者中有 54 名（52%的响应率）。最终确定了总共 33 个老年 RO 学习成果。
本研究中描述的老年 RO 学习成果形成了国际共识，可以为全球 RO 培训机构提供信息。这代表着制定旨在提高 RO 学员老年肿瘤学知识和技能的全球教育框架的第一步。
