First contact physicians and retinoblastoma in Mexico

Abstract

Background Early detection and timely referral are keys to improve survival in patients with retinoblastoma (Rb). In México, one of the main obstacles for an early diagnosis is the lack of knowledge of the disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate Rb comprehension in students in their last year of medical school. Procedure A questionnaire was completed by 791 students from 12 universities. Descriptive statistics from the population were obtained and every answer to each question was analyzed. Results Only 3.3% of the students got a proficiency grade. Less than 50% diagnosed Rb when an image was shown. Conclusions The students evaluated do not have the knowledge to detect the disease. It is necessary to develop continuous educational programs for first contact physicians. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2011; 57: 1109–1112. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Global challenges in pediatric oncology

“…В недавнем исследовании из Мексики С.A. Leal-Leal et al [29] опросили большое число студентов последнего года обучения из 12 различных медицин ских школ на предмет основных знаний по выявлению ретинобластомы и направления пациентов на диагно стику. Только 3,3 % студентов показали профессиональный уровень осведомленности, две трети не знали общих признаков ретинобластомы, и, что самое важное, менее 5 % опрошенных могли заподозрить данное заболевание при демонстрации изображения ребенка с лейкокорией.…”

What do non-ophthalmic health professionals know about retinoblastoma: a survey in Saudi Arabia

“…We assumed that the rate of good knowledge about Rb would be in 44.2%. 9 To achieve 95% confidence interval, an acceptable error margin of 10% and clustering effect of 1.5, we needed a randomly selected 135 professionals. To compensate for the incomplete survey, we increased the sample by 10%.…”

“…If they do not know about Rb, such cases could reach ophthalmologists in late stages especially in developing countries. 8,9 Both these studies had reported less than the desired level of knowledge about the condition and its management. To the best of our knowledge, no such research is carried out in Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia.…”

Integrating stages of change models to cast new vision on interventions to improve global retinoblastoma and childhood cancer outcomes

“…The varying reported incidence of retinoblastoma within countries likely reflects reporting mechanisms more than true incidence difference [3, 4]. Retinoblastoma has been reported as the most frequent solid tumor diagnosis in Mexico after central nervous system neoplasms [5] and in northern Nigeria, retinoblastoma is documented as the most common childhood malignancy overall, accounting for almost one-third of all pediatric oncology cases [6]. Retinoblastoma has been documented among the top three childhood cancers diagnosed in Tanzania, Ghana, the Congo, and Kenya and as the fourth most common in Senegal [7–11].…”

“…The definition phase necessarily investigates baseline cancer knowledge and referral trends of local health care providers [5]. The public health model then assesses available local resources and analyzes barriers to patient and provider efficacy.…”