Assessing trainee’s need and readiness for e-cancer education and training in Africa.

Irabor, Omoruyi Credit; Berger, Anouk; Mbarika, Victor; Hammad, Nazik; Odedina, Folakemi T.; Ngwa, Wilfred

doi:10.1200/jco.2018.36.15_suppl.11012

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…One university that has been an excellent example of online education across different African countries is the ICT University. The university has its presence in Cameroon, Nigeria and Uganda and is rapidly expanding across Africa, while collaborating with academic institutions in Europe and the USA to advance the training of health professionals in Africa, including oncology [8,14,15]. The GO-U has also a growing partnership with faculty across different institutions in Africa and leading world institutions in the USA and Europe focused on oncology education and training, with certificate courses offered online and courses for long-term degree and residency programmes conducted in partnership with local institutions in different African countries.…”

Section: Discussion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the previously reported AORTIC survey conducted in 2015-2016 [8], 110 out of 128 (about 86%) respondents had personal computers of the minimum specification, 86 had computers in their workplace and 95 had other technological devices such as tablets and phones that could adequately support e-Learning. All respondents had Internet connectivity, but only 20 (15.7%) had a quality connection greater than 1 Mbps of bandwidth speed to support synchronous e-Learning.…”

Section: Assessing Readiness and Prospects For Web-based Oncology Edumentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides connectivity issues, virtual oncology training in Africa is possible only with cultural acceptance and availability of other ICT infrastructural and managerial support systems such as electricity, e-Learning software and hardware, personnel to manage access to learning materials, technical standardisation and a framework to review learning resources [7]. In 2017, the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) carried out a survey to assess the educational needs and e-Learning readiness of sub-Sahara African oncology staff [8]. The results highlighted deficiencies in the training of oncology health professionals in key competency areas, and supported the establishment of e-Learning to supplement ongoing traditional training to meet the deficiencies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Using advanced information and communication technologies to advance oncology education in Africa

Asana

Irabor

Seppo

et al. 2021

ecancer

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Recent work has highlighted the tremendous potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in advancing global oncology education, research and care. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the development of effective approaches for online education even more crucial. Here we assessed the readiness, interest and potential models for effective implementation of ICT-powered oncology education in Africa. Methods: Building on previous work by the African Organisation for Research andTraining in Cancer (AORTIC), a survey was conducted to assess the electronic learning (e-Learning) readiness of oncology health professionals using an online self-assessment tool. Components of e-Learning readiness assessed include access to computers, Internet, appropriate bandwidth and interest. As a practical test model, an ICT resource-intensive radiation oncology training programme was implemented via the Global Oncology University (GO-U) collaborative education platform. An analysis of results, challenges and opportunities resulting from these is discussed for advancing online oncology education in Africa. Results:The survey showed over 92% of health professionals have access to computers, laptops or other technology that can allow them to participate in online education. Over 45% of oncology health professionals have already participated in some form of online education. Interest in online education was over 93%. Models for effective online learning in oncology include synchronous and asynchronous short-term courses for continuous education and long-term degree and residency programmes. There was a significant increase in skills level following the collaborative radiation oncology training model used by the GO-U platform. Conclusion:Africa has the capacity to implement successful e-Learning in oncology, which is consistent with findings in previous work such as the AORTIC. Greater investment by institutions and governments is needed in terms of resources and policy changes to facilitate the implementation of effective online oncology training. Purposeful engagement of diaspora oncology health professionals with relevant cultural backgrounds as with some current collaborative efforts is highly recommended in helping turn brain drain into brain circulation.

show abstract

Section: Discussion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Assessing Readiness and Prospects For Web-based Oncology Edumentioning

confidence: 99%