Dados do Trabalho

Título

UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS PERCEPTION ABOUT ONCOLOGY TEACHING OVER DIFFERENT STAGES OF THEIR CURRICULUM

Introdução

Cancer is an increasing disease that requires greater attention from health professionals, specially from doctors. Thus, its expected that the medical students develop competences that encompass the knowledge and skills to establish a diagnosis of cancer, care for patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments, including those patients in palliative care. A comprehensive curriculum should have an academic background that enables the medical students to develop and test those competences over different stages and scenarios. However, how this development evolves over the time in the medical undergraduate course is unknown in Brazil.

Objetivo

To understand how the medical knowledge about cancer evolves over the time in medical curriculum and how the oncology education as a specific curricular module impacts the perception of medical students at different stages of their training.

Método

A cross-sectional descriptive field research was carried out with statistical analysis of data in a descriptive quantitative and inferential manner, through a web based questionnaire, in order to analyze the responses of medical students from João Pessoa University Center - UNIPE from different stages (1st period, 6th period, 9th period and 12 th period). The groups were arranged to segregate students at the beginning of their academic training in Medicine, who have no contact with the Medical Oncology discipline/module (1st and 6th periods), from those at their finals stages and who have had a compulsory medical oncology education (9th and 12th periods).

Resultado

186 questionnaires were answered. Regarding eight general questions about cancer, overall correct answers was of 94.1%, with no statistical differences among the different stages. However, there was a trend for correct responses for students in more advanced stages. 39.2% students would choose medical oncology as a medical specialty. The greatest chance to choose was observed among students from earlier periods. 96 students (51.61%) would choose this medical specialty because it allows human contact and have direct intervention in the patient care, and 36% would choose it because it encompasses several specialties´ knowledge. Only one student (0.5%) indicated that no need for a specific medical oncology module. Finally, more than 90% of students believe oncology is not fashion medical specialty.

Conclusão

The compulsory medical oncology training demonstrated a trend in enhancing the cancer knowledge over the time.

Palavras-chave

education, medical oncology

Área

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