Current status and developments of German curriculum-based residency training programmes in radiation oncology

Abstract

Purpose The current status of German residency training in the field of radiation oncology is provided and compared to programmes in other countries. In particular, we present the DEGRO-Academy within the international context. Methods Certified courses from 2018 and 2019 were systematically assigned to the DEGRO-Curriculum, retrospectively for 2018 and prospectively for 2019. In addition, questionnaires of course evaluations were provided, answered by course participants and collected centrally. Results Our data reveal a clear increase in curriculum coverage by certified courses from 57.6% in 2018 to 77.5% in 2019. The analyses enable potential improvements in German curriculum-based education. Specific topics of the DEGRO-Curriculum are still underrepresented, while others decreased in representation between 2018 and 2019. It was found that several topics in the DEGRO-Curriculum require more attention because of a low DEGRO-curriculum coverage. Evaluation results of certified courses improved significantly with a median grade of 1.62 in 2018 to 1.47 in 2019 (p = 0.0319). Conclusion The increase of curriculum coverage and the simultaneous improvement of course evaluations are promising with respect to educational standards in Germany. Additionally, the early integration of radiation oncology into medical education is a prerequisite for resident training because of rising demands on quality control and increasing patient numbers. This intensified focus is a requirement for continued high standards and quality of curriculum-based education in radiation oncology both in Germany and other countries.

Risk management patterns in radiation oncology—results of a national survey within the framework of the Patient Safety in German Radiation Oncology (PaSaGeRO) project

“…This is in line with results of a survey among American RO residents which describes low expertise regarding RM, although a program to improve skills on RM/QM existed for the RO curriculum [ 50 ]. Even though inclusion of QM and RM in medical education is recommended in Germany [ 51 ], current evaluation of RO residency training in Germany does not offer information on specific education on patient safety/RM issues so far [ 52 , 53 ]. This might be included in further evaluation as this is a dedicated topic of international recommendations [ 54 ].…”

“…Departmental education should be facilitated by the societies focusing on national conditions. Leaned to existing recommendations [ 17 ], we expect updated guidelines from national societies and increasing focus on RM at national congresses and educational events [ 53 ].…”

Education in Radiation Oncology—Current Challenges and Difficulties

“…The decision to choose radiotherapy as a specialty in their medical career was more common among students who participated in a medical school program with more than 2 h of lectures. The authors mention the need to introduce the concepts of radiotherapy in the university curriculum for medical students, noting the potential benefit brought in choosing their future medical career [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ].…”

“…Without intending to include all the educational efforts proposed by the national and international scientific societies, Table 1 summarizes some of the directions proposed by the main radiation oncology professional and scientific societies as well as the International Atomic Energy Society Agency. We also mention the limited access to information about educational approaches in the official websites of national societies, due to the non-existence of an international language version these websites [ 23 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ].…”

Successful implementation of online educational lectures of the German Society for Radiation Oncology (DEGRO)

“…The complexity of radiation oncology has increased significantly in recent decades due to developments in both clinical and computer technologies [ 1 , 2 ]. Additionally, increasing quality control requirements and rising patient numbers are making more structured and time-effective teaching across multiple sites a necessity [ 3 ]. To ensure the feasibility of these structural changes, prospective physicians must be able to develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors during their residency training [ 4 – 6 ].…”