Applying global frameworks to assessment in medical education: an example of a nationally produced curriculum for cancer education

A Cancer Education Framework for Australian Medical Schools: an Announcement of a New Educational Program

This framework draws upon national and international cancer curricula to identify the essential cancer-related learning outcomes for Australian medical students. The framework incorporates feedback from medical, radiation and surgical oncologists, haematologists, and palliative care physicians on what medical graduates need to know about cancer. The consensus view was that medical students require a basic understanding of the principles of cancer management and the opportunity to see cancer patients in a cancer service unit. The framework assumes that certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes are already embedded in current Australian medical school curricula, presenting instead only the core cancer content in order to provide a clear and concise framework designed to maximise integration within existing curricula.

Using expert panels to determine the level of cancer knowledge required of junior doctors in australia. Part 2: sources of variability

This paper describes the sources of variability encountered in the use of an expert panel to review cancer-related knowledge items, necessary for medical students. Variability was observed in the interpretation of written material relating to the definition and rationale for the task to be completed by individual panel members, including the definition of a junior doctor, and levels of understanding and specificity. Panel sessions undertaken in phase II provided facilitated discussion and the ability to clearly define the aims and tasks required of participants, resulting in data of a higher quality. Consensus was achieved in a single session that would have likely taken several iterations of individual data collection to achieve. Eliminating phase I has the potential to remove the majority of variability encountered in this study. Subsequently, the resultant decrease in time demanded of participants would likely result in higher recruitment and participation rates.

Using expert panels to determine the level of cancer knowledge required of junior doctors in Australia. Part 1: methodology and results

A number of curricula have been developed to address shortfalls in cancer education. However, no standardised means of assessing medical graduates against such curricula currently exist. This paper describes the use of expert panels to determine the level of cancer-related knowledge required by junior doctors. Participants individually reviewed knowledge items from the Ideal Oncology Curriculum for Medical Students and rated the level of understanding and specificity of each. On completion, panel sessions were convened to reach consensus. Fifty-two (17 %) items were considered irrelevant for junior doctors, whilst 164 items (54 %) and 85 items (28 %) were deemed appropriate at a moderate and high level of understanding, respectively. As a result, 249 (83 %) of the 301 items were deemed appropriate for junior doctors. Expert panels provide an important insight into the requirements of junior doctors, reduce ambiguity and facilitate discussion, resulting in higher quality data than that produced solely through individual reviews.