Introduction

As the Canadian population ages, older adults comprise an increasing proportion of those diagnosed and treated for hematologic malignancies. A geriatric oncology curriculum has been recognized as a top priority in the care of older patients with cancer. It is not clear, however, whether hematology trainees receive training in geriatric oncology. We sought to understand residents' views and needs for a geriatric oncology curriculum during hematology residency in Canada.

Materials and Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional needs assessment of hematology trainees enrolled in a Canadian residency or advanced fellowship training program within hematology. The survey, which was piloted with three non-hematology residents to ensure user-friendliness, used a combination of Likert scale, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions. The survey comprised three sections: (1) demographic data, (2) current state of geriatric oncology training (amount, content) and (3) attitudes towards learning about geriatric oncology and preferred curriculum components and identified needs. The survey was administered by the study team and distributed electronically to program directors in June 2020. The program directors were asked to forward the survey to trainees registered within their Division of Hematology. Data were analyzed descriptively.

Results

Twenty-nine hematology residents participated (41.4% estimated response rate). Most respondents had not received geriatric oncology teaching (58.6%, n = 17) and have never been taught about geriatric oncology assessment tools (72.4%, n = 21) during hematology residency. Most respondents felt that their program should deliver a geriatric oncology curriculum (96.6%, n = 28). Respondents were most interested in learning about use of geriatric assessment tools for pre-treatment chemotherapy decision-making (86.2%, n = 25), prediction of chemotherapy toxicity (82.8%, n = 24), and to facilitate conversations regarding treatment initiation, continuation, or termination (79.3%, n = 23).

Discussion

Our study highlights the paucity of geriatric oncology training in hematology residency training programs. Our results highlight both the need and interest for a future dedicated geriatric oncology curriculum integrated into hematology training and provide guidance about which topics are most valued by trainees.

中文翻译：

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血液科住院医师对照顾患有癌症的老年人了解多少？加拿大血液学居民知识和兴趣的全国调查

介绍

随着加拿大人口老龄化，老年人在诊断和治疗血液系统恶性肿瘤的人群中所占比例越来越大。老年肿瘤学课程已被公认为老年癌症患者护理的重中之重。然而，尚不清楚血液学实习生是否接受老年肿瘤学方面的培训。我们试图了解居民在加拿大血液学住院期间对老年肿瘤学课程的看法和需求。

材料和方法

我们对参加加拿大住院医师或血液学高级研究金培训计划的血液学学员进行了横断面需求评估。该调查以三名非血液学居民为试点，以确保用户友好，使用了李克特量表、多项选择和开放式问题的组合。该调查包括三个部分：(1) 人口统计数据，(2) 老年肿瘤学培训的现状（数量、内容）和 (3) 对学习老年肿瘤学和首选课程组成部分以及已确定需求的态度。该调查由研究团队管理，并于 2020 年 6 月以电子方式分发给项目主管。项目主管被要求将调查转发给在其血液学部门注册的学员。对数据进行了描述性分析。

结果

29 名血液学住院医师参与（估计响应率为 41.4%）。大多数受访者没有接受过老年肿瘤学教学（58.6%，n = 17），并且 在血液学住院医师期间 从未接受过老年肿瘤学评估工具（72.4%，n = 21）的教学。大多数受访者认为他们的计划应该提供老年肿瘤学课程（96.6%，n  = 28）。受访者最感兴趣的是了解如何使用老年评估工具进行治疗前化疗决策（86.2%，n  = 25）、化疗毒性预测（82.8%，n  = 24），以及促进有关治疗开始的对话，继续或终止（79.3%，n  = 23）。

讨论

我们的研究强调了血液学住院医师培训计划中缺乏老年肿瘤学培训。我们的结果强调了将未来专门的老年肿瘤学课程整合到血液学培训中的需求和兴趣，并就哪些主题最受学员重视提供了指导。