Department of Pharmacy, Al Rafidain University College, Baghdad, Iraq.
School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.
Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2022 Dec 1;23(12):4275-4284. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2022.23.12.4275.
Chemotherapy resistance is caused by a multiplicity of reasons; some of which can be avoided and others that are beyond the scope of current treatment methods. Since chemotherapy is administered under the supervision of health personnel, the role of oncologists cannot be undermined, and yet none is known about their knowledge and perspective. This research is the first-ever study aiming to develop a valid and reliable tool to determine oncologists' knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward chemotherapy resistance.
Based on information gathered from literature searches, in-depth interviews with oncologists, and discussions with experts, an English-language questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was tested for validity and reliability. A final version of the questionnaire (63 items) was piloted among 64 practicing oncologists and oncology trainees via convenient sampling. Data analysis was done using SPSS.
Correlation coefficients for each of the questionnaire's domains were more than 0.7 (P<0.001), which suggests that the questionnaire had strong test-retest reliability. The overall internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for knowledge (0.728), attitude (0.722), and practice (0.716) were greater than 0.7 indicating good internal consistency. Participants demonstrated a low level of knowledge and a positive attitude toward chemotherapy resistance. A statistically significant difference was noted between the knowledge score and education level, years of experience in the medical and oncology field, and experiencing resistance cases.
The developed questionnaire was found to be valid and reliable and can be used as an assessment tool for assessing oncologists' knowledge, attitude, and practice toward chemotherapy resistance in future studies. This study also reported that the oncologists have low knowledge on chemotherapy resistance and a predominantly positive attitude towards fighting chemotherapy resistance. Thus, it is essential for current practices in chemotherapy to be optimized to reduce the risk of chemotherapy resistance.
化疗耐药是由多种原因引起的；其中一些原因可以避免，而另一些原因则超出了目前治疗方法的范围。由于化疗是在卫生人员的监督下进行的，肿瘤学家的作用不可低估，但他们的知识和观点却无人知晓。这项研究是首次旨在开发一种有效和可靠的工具来确定肿瘤学家对化疗耐药的知识、态度和实践（KAP）的研究。
根据文献检索、肿瘤学家深入访谈和专家讨论收集的信息，开发了一份英文问卷。问卷的有效性和可靠性进行了测试。最终版本的问卷（63 个项目）通过方便抽样在 64 名执业肿瘤学家和肿瘤学学员中进行了试点。使用 SPSS 进行数据分析。
问卷各领域的相关系数均大于 0.7（P<0.001），表明问卷具有很强的重测信度。知识（0.728）、态度（0.722）和实践（0.716）的总体内部一致性（Cronbach's alpha）大于 0.7，表明内部一致性良好。参与者表现出对化疗耐药的低知识水平和积极态度。知识得分与教育水平、医学和肿瘤学领域的经验年限以及耐药病例的经验之间存在显著差异。
所开发的问卷被证明是有效和可靠的，可以作为未来研究中评估肿瘤学家对化疗耐药的知识、态度和实践的评估工具。本研究还报告称，肿瘤学家对化疗耐药的知识水平较低，对对抗化疗耐药的态度主要是积极的。因此，优化当前的化疗实践以降低化疗耐药的风险至关重要。
