Training the Trainees in Radiation Oncology with Telemedicine as a Tool in a Developing Country: A Two-Year Audit

Abstract

Purpose. The estimated new cancer patient load in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is 0.1–0.12 million per year. Approximately two thirds of these require treatment by a radiation oncologist. Radiation oncologists: cancer patient ratio in this state is 1 : 2000 as compared to the recommended 1 : 250. This problem is compounded by the poor infrastructure of radiation oncology departments in the state which is suboptimal for teaching, training of resident doctors, and treatment in most barring a few departments. To bridge some gap in the sociodemographics stated above and enhancement of training of residents, we submitted a project for establishment of a telemedicine facility in our department to the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. We present the design, implementation, and a two-year audit of our tele-education activities. Materials and Methods. After the sanction of the project, we established telemedicine linkage with another medical institute in the city located 25 kms away in 2007. After implementation of the project, academic sessions designed for trainee residents in our department were shared with the remote end. A record of these activities and a feedback of the activities were audited at the end of 2 years of implementation of this project. Results. Regular videoconferencing sessions comprising of lectures on clinical oncology, medical physics, and radiobiology were held. Feedback from the users revealed satisfaction with the content of the academic sessions for the purpose of MD training. Conclusions. Distance education in radiation oncology is an important tool for training of the trainee residents.

Adoption of Information and communication technologies for early detection of breast and cervical cancers in low- and middle-income countries

“…Most often, articles were excluded because they did not focus on an LMIC. That said, studies in high-and upper middle-income countries might provide relevant insights, such as the use of telemedicine to address human resource limitations 28 or analyses of Internet use by patients with cervical cancer to increase access to information. 29 We also excluded articles that focused on ICT applications for the prevention of cancers other than breast or cervical (eg, lung, colorectal, and stomach [n = 7] in low-resource settings outside of LMICs).…”

Experience of a Videoconference System with Medical Information Desktop Sharing for Radiation Therapy and Evaluation of Its Usefulness

“…The system reported here has sufficiently realized our needs, though a level 1 system was the simplest in the classification of Olsen et al It should be emphasized that medical information desktop sharing reported here seems to be the first in the field of radiation oncology. There are some reports on applications of telemedicine for radiation therapy [4][5][6][7]. Suzuki et al [4] introduced a web-based remote radiation treatment planning system that allowed staff at an affiliated hospital to obtain support from a fully staffed central institution.…”

“…Maguire et al [5] reported their initial experience with a telemedicine workstation as a method for interactive intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning for patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma between a university hospital and a distant regional community hospital. As an example of telemedicine applied to radiation oncology in a developing country, Agrawal et al [6] reported the establishment of a telemedicine linkage with a remote medical institute to facilitate teaching, training, and carry out collaborative clinical and translational research. Their utilization of telemedicine in radiation oncology also included a videoconference, although the main purpose was resident education.…”

Feasibility of developing a pediatric telehealth network in Honduras with international consultation support

“…In addition to providing clinical support, telehealth offers a means for distance learning and training. Continuing medical education (CME) opportunities through telehealth may encourage providers to remain in or return to remote and underserved areas 11,12 . Telehealth programs have been found to be cost effective for certain patient populations 13,14 and cost neutral for others 3 , and are well received by patients and providers alike 15,16 .…”