Dados do Trabalho

Título

UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL ONCOLOGY EDUCATION: A BRAZILIAN PANORAMA

Introdução

An increasing proportion of medical oncologists are involved in providing undergraduate level education and the time devoted to teaching is likely to evolve over the time, since the number of medical schools as the number of medical students in Brazil have tripled along the last 2 decades. Moreover, the Brazilian cancer mortality rates have increased as the population aged, hallmarking an epidemiological transition. As so, educating undergraduate medical students is a central step to face that situation. However, Brazil has not implemented a national comprehensive medical curriculum to encompass non-surgical oncology competences. Additionally, little is known about the actual scenario of knowledge and skills of Brazilian medical students.

Objetivo

To obtain information regarding the current oncology curriculum at medical schools programs and depict the actual panorama in Brazilian Medical Schools.

Método

medical schools registered in Brazilian Ministry of Education were identified and the undergraduate curriculum was individually reviewed by searching in respective institutional websites. The non-surgical oncology education as a module was considered as compulsory or optional.

Resultado

351 medical schools were identified. 134 curricula were available in institutional websites: 47 (33.57%) have a compulsory medical oncology module, 87 (62.14%) have no oncology education as a formal module (compulsory or optional). Most of the medical schools analyzed were private institutions.

Conclusão

A comprehensive medical oncology curriculum is mandatory to be implemented nationwide. Virtually, all doctors will come into contact with patients who have cancer or have had cancer, as so, a compulsory medical oncology undergraduate education may fill the actual gap.

Palavras-chave

oncology, undergraduate, medical teaching

Área

Oncologia - Políticas Públicas, Acesso, Farmacoeconomia e Gestão em Saúde