An interprofessional web-based approach to providing breast cancer education

Advanced breast cancer education for cancer nurses: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Access to comprehensive, integrated, multidisciplinary care is one of the most urgent and actionable recommendations of the Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance. However, access to specialist breast care units, and specialist breast cancer nurses is variable, influenced by access to specialist education and role recognition. To date, there has not been a synthesis of evidence regarding educational programmes related to advanced breast cancer education for nurses.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this review was to determine the content, mode of delivery, assessment and outcomes of education programmes related to advanced breast cancer for nurses.

REVIEW METHODS

A systematic review was undertaken, according to the Joanna Briggs Institute's mixed methods review methodology.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, PUBMED, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycInfo, Joanna Briggs Institute, Web of Science and grey literature sources were systematically searched. Eleven publications met the inclusion criteria. Data relating to programme content, mode of delivery, assessment and outcomes were extracted and analysed.

RESULTS

This review identifies a limited number of educational programmes within this specialist area of nursing practice. Shortcomings in the development, implementation and evaluation of advanced breast cancer education programmes included limited use of educational standards, theoretical frameworks and patient and public involvement to inform programme development. Evaluation of education programmes related to advanced breast cancer relied predominantly on self-reported learning, with limited consideration of the impacts of education on service delivery, patient experience or quality of care.

CONCLUSIONS

Future development of advanced breast cancer education programmes must consider the alignment of programme content and learning outcomes with existing educational and competency standards. Evaluation of educational programmes in this field must endeavour to enhance rigour of methods, incorporating standardised questionnaires, and multiple methods and sources of data to evaluate the broader impacts of advanced breast cancer education for nurses.

Educational methods used in cancer training for health sciences students: An integrative review

OBJECTIVE

To explore the educational methods used in the cancer training of undergraduate students in health sciences.

DESIGN

Integrative review with a systematic methodology was performed to obtain a comprehensive picture of the variety of educational methods used in cancer training.

DATA SOURCES

A search was performed in the PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Cochrane databases for the period 2008-2020.

REVIEW METHODS

The Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) was used to assess the quality of included studies. Three reviewers extracted data and did quality appraisal.

RESULTS

A total of 40 articles referring to cancer training in medicine and nursing were included in the review; no articles referring to other health disciplines were found. The main educational methods used were expository methods, case studies, exercises and problems, problem-based learning, learning contracts and project-oriented learning.

CONCLUSION

This review shows the need to combine educational methods so that health sciences students acquire competency (knowledge, skill, attitude) for comprehensive cancer care. There is a gap in the training of undergraduate nursing students to provide person/family centered care in oncology. To improve the training and professional practice of future health professionals, interprofessional education and the involvement of people with cancer in simulation education are recommended.

Oncology Resources for Students Enrolled in Pre-Licensure and Graduate Nursing Programs in the United States: A Scoping Review of the Literature

OBJECTIVES

This scoping review summarizes oncology resources for pre-licensure and graduate nursing programs in the United States.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus databases were searched to identify resources (2008-2019) published in peer-reviewed journals. While 1,503 papers were initially identified, 49 met inclusion criteria.

CONCLUSION

Thematic analysis revealed five themes with subthemes: (1) didactic courses; (2) clinical opportunities; (3) didactic and clinical resources; (4) simulation resources; and (5) other.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Academic educators are charged with preparing a nursing workforce capable of providing safe and quality evidence-based care across the cancer continuum. Findings offer examples that overcome curriculum barriers.

Training Primary Health Professionals in Breast Cancer Prevention: Evidence and Experience from Mexico

To analyze the key successful factors of a national educational strategy for early breast cancer detection developed in Mexico for primary health care personnel from 2008 to 2014, an educational strategy to train physicians, nurses, health promoters, and medical students from local ministries of health with a competency-based approach was developed and implemented using diverse educational modalities, face-to-face, blended, and a massive open online course (MOOC). Formative and summative evaluations were used during the implementation of the course. A total of 19,563 health professionals were trained from 2008 to 2014. The graduation rate, an average of all educational modalities, was 91 %, much higher than those previously reported in the literature. The factors that might have influenced this success were (1) the training strategy, which was designed according to the characteristics and specific needs of the target groups; (2) the political will and commitment of the country's health authorities; (3) the technological and educational models used; and (4) the punctual follow-up of participants. This study shows that carefully designed educational interventions can improve service professionals' competencies and that regardless of the modality, face-to-face, blended learning, or MOOC, high graduation rates can be achieved. Further evaluation is required to demonstrate that the competencies remained in all target groups after 6 months of the intervention and that the women served by the trained personnel were provided accurate information and timely diagnoses of breast cancer.

Development and delivery of an interdisciplinary course in mobile health (mHealth)

BACKGROUND

Interdisciplinary practice is a primary focus within the United States health care system. Despite the existence of interdisciplinary educational efforts in pharmacy for many years, the practice only recently entered mainstream health care education. Informatics offers interdisciplinary educational opportunities. Mobile health (mHealth), an informatics sub-discipline, is the use of mobile devices for health and wellness activities. We used the mHealth domain as the context for an interdisciplinary learning experience for pharmacy and computer science and software engineering (CSSE) students.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY

Educational activities focused on creating an mHealth course sequence and an mHealth application (app). Students worked in teams to complete various assignments, including developing and presenting a course proposal, building a purchase plan for mHealth equipment, developing an mHealth app prototype, delivering a disease state presentation (pharmacy students only), developing use case scenarios (CSSE students only), and completing peer evaluations.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY

Course evaluations were only available from pharmacy students. They indicated an overall favorable rating (mean 3.27-3.55; 4=strongly agree). Survey data collected after students entered the workforce indicated that students felt better prepared than their colleagues to work with individuals from other disciplines (mean 4.82; 5=strongly agree). Students also indicated using the knowledge from course proposal development in their careers (mean 4.27; 5=strongly agree). Through team interactions, students learned from each other while overcoming challenges related to terminology and content areas. Skills learned through team interactions reflect real-world processes and are expected to support students' future professional responsibilities.

Female Sexual Health Training for Oncology Providers: New Applications

Introduction

Sexual health care remains an unmet need for women with cancer. Many barriers are described, such as provider discomfort and lack of training; however, there is little evidence-based guidance regarding how to effectively address these obstacles.

Aim

This pilot study was performed to determine whether brief, targeted sexual health training for oncology providers results in improved provider comfort level and frequency of addressing female cancer-related sexual issues.

Methods

A brief (30–45 minute), targeted sexual health training program focused on improving comfort level, knowledge and communication skills when addressing breast cancer–related sexual issues was developed by the primary author. Using a pretest-posttest format, this educational program was provided to oncology providers (physicians and nurses/other allied health) from a suburban health-care system. Surveys based on 5-point Likert scales were provided before and 3–6 month post training.

Main Outcome Measures

Primary endpoints were changes in mean Likert scores for provider comfort level and self-reported frequency of addressing sexual issues. A secondary endpoint was change in mean Likert scores for perception of access to sexual health resources/referrals.

Results

Eligible respondents included 8 oncologists, 4 surgeons, and 62 nurses/other allied health. For total respondents, comparison of mean Likert scores for survey 1 (n = 71) and survey 2 (n = 36) demonstrated statistically significant increases for all parameters queried, including provider comfort level with bringing up (Pre mean Likert score = 3.4, Post = 4.3, P < 0.0001) and coordinating care (Pre = 3.5, Post = 4.6, P < 0.0001), and frequency of addressing sexual issues for both diagnosis/treatment and surveillance phase (Pre = 2.4, Post = 3.3, P ≤ 0.0052).

Conclusion

Brief, targeted sexual health training for oncology providers positively correlated with improved provider comfort level and frequency of addressing female cancer-related sexual issues.