Development of a Multi-Institutional Simulation-Based Gynecologic Brachytherapy Curriculum

Singer, Lisa; Damast, Shari; Lin, Lilie L.; Taunk, Neil K.; Lee, Larissa J.; Albuquerque, Kevin; Chino, Junzo; Petereit, Daniel G.; Joyner, Melissa; Fields, Emma C.

doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2019.05.023

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Deployment of the workshop internationally required consideration of cultural, institutional, and educational norms as well as adaptation to logistical time, material, and resource constraints. Despite the larger group sizes compared with the U.S. deployment (5) and less individualized instruction as compared with the Virginia Commonwealth University workshop (4), the workshop was met with high satisfaction. The participant satisfaction identified in this study compares favorably with that seen in other similar workshops in the United States (4,6).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feasibility of deploying a U.S. simulation-based gynecological brachytherapy educational workshop to an international setting

et al. 2020

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PURPOSE: A decline in brachytherapy (BT) use for cervical cancer has negatively affected cure rates in the United States and abroad. To improve trainee exposure to BT, a simulation-based educational curriculum incorporating a pelvic mannequin was developed and implemented at several U.S. residency programs. We sought to describe an initial experience with deployment of this curriculum to an international setting. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The setting was in Israel, a middle eastern country with cervical cancer incidence of 5e8 cases per 100,000 women. Israel was selected for this pilot because of its desire to increase exposure to trainees, lack of mandatory BT case requirements, and few residencies nationally. In determining the feasibility of deployment to this setting, a partnership was formed between a U.S. and Israeli brachytherapist to understand cultural context and institutional and logistical needs. Feasibility was defined as successful completion of the workshop. Trainee comfort and knowledge with BT was assessed with preworkshop and postworkshop surveys, with changes compared. RESULTS: The curriculum was incorporated into a 1-day course on gynecologic malignancies, with adaptation to local setting and routine. Among 15 attendees, eight were residents, from four programs. All completed the workshop. All domains assessed by the surveys improved and all respondents found the program to be helpful. CONCLUSIONS: International deployment of the simulation-based educational BT curriculum was feasible and well-received. Further collaboration is needed to deploy and adapt the curriculum to countries of high cervical cancer incidence that could benefit from increased education.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To improve BT training, an SBE gynecological curriculum was developed for use at multiple centers in the United States (5). In the present study, we aimed to determine the feasibility of piloting the curriculum for use in Israel.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feasibility of deploying a U.S. simulation-based gynecological brachytherapy educational workshop to an international setting

et al. 2020

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“…To broadly impact brachytherapy use in the United States, improved brachytherapy training is needed across many institutions to engage residents and ensure clinical competence. Our workshop can be reproduced at other institutions, and current efforts to deploy a standardized GME curriculum across centers are underway (26). One limitation in translating this workshop to other institutions is the need for one or more pelvic mannequins which we had available at our institution, but are not readily available at all centers and would require an initial cost investment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ABS 300 in 10 initiative is supporting efforts to train 300 competent brachytherapists over 10 years. Efforts such as the ABS 300 in 10 initiative are directly addressing the need for improved brachytherapy training (26,27). Hands-on gynecological brachytherapy workshops have been implemented at the ABS annual meetings (22,26).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Efforts such as the ABS 300 in 10 initiative are directly addressing the need for improved brachytherapy training (26,27). Hands-on gynecological brachytherapy workshops have been implemented at the ABS annual meetings (22,26). SBE workshops such as ours could be incorporated into a national curriculum as part of these efforts to improve brachytherapy skills and utilization for the definitive treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Simulation-based graduate medical education in MR-guided brachytherapy for cervical cancer

Singer

McLaughlin²,

Alban

et al. 2020

Brachytherapy

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PURPOSE: Brachytherapy is critical for the curative treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer. Although brachytherapy use is declining in the United States (U.S.), novel interstitial or intracavitary applicators and advances in image guidance for applicator placement and treatment planning have allowed for tumor dose escalation while reducing normal tissue toxicity. Recent survey data have suggested insufficient brachytherapy training for radiation oncology trainees in the United States. This study aimed to address these gaps by developing and piloting a simulationbased education (SBE) workshop for MR-guided cervical cancer brachytherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: An SBE workshop was developed for graduate medical education (GME) trainees focusing on MR-guided brachytherapy for cervical cancer. Four hands-on stations, simulating aspects of the procedure, were led by a team of gynecological brachytherapy experts. The learners were radiation oncology residents and fellows in a U.S. GME training program. The primary outcome was feasibility, assessed by completion of the workshop within the time constraints of the curriculum. Learners completed preworkshop and postworkshop surveys to provide information on efficacy. RESULTS: The workshop was successfully completed in a 1-h block of GME didactic time. Ten trainees completed all four stations, and all completed preworkshop and postworkshop surveys, which showed improvements in knowledge and technical proficiency. Feedback was positive, and trainees requested additional learning opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that GME-focused SBE in MR-guided cervical cancer brachytherapy was feasible. SBE provided a nonclinical environment in which to practice aspects of MR-guided brachytherapy. Ongoing work includes collaboration with other U.S. institutions. Future studies should focus on international adaptation.

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Survey on brachytherapy training among radiation oncology residents in the German-speaking regions of Europe

et al. 2023

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Purpose This survey aimed to determine the perception of brachytherapy training among residents in the DACH region, consisting of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Material & Methods An online questionnaire containing 22 questions related to trainee demographics (n = 5) and to brachytherapy training (n = 17) was sent in two iterations in 11/2019 and 02/2020. The following topics were evaluated: institutional support, barriers to training, extent of training, site-specific training (prostate, gynaecology, breast, gastrointestinal and skin), preferences for further training and outlook on overall development of brachytherapy. The responses were mostly based on a Likert scale of 1 to 5, thereby reflecting strength of opinion. Descriptive statistics were used to describe frequencies. Results Among the 108 respondents, approximately 69% of residents considered the ability to perform brachytherapy independently to be important or somewhat important. However, only 31% of respondents reported to have a dedicated brachytherapy training during residency. The major limitation to achieve independence in performing brachytherapy was seen in a low case load in Austria, in the lack of training in Switzerland and in both of them in Germany. Conclusion The interest in brachytherapy training among residents in German-speaking countries was generally high, but there is a perceived lack of sufficient case volumes and partially also in formal training opportunities. Fellowships at departments with a high case load as part of a formalised curriculum and dedicated hands-on workshops at national or international conferences might help to overcome these issues.

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Development of a Multi-Institutional Simulation-Based Gynecologic Brachytherapy Curriculum

Cited by 10 publications

References 6 publications

Feasibility of deploying a U.S. simulation-based gynecological brachytherapy educational workshop to an international setting

Feasibility of deploying a U.S. simulation-based gynecological brachytherapy educational workshop to an international setting

Simulation-based graduate medical education in MR-guided brachytherapy for cervical cancer

Survey on brachytherapy training among radiation oncology residents in the German-speaking regions of Europe

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