Improving the Educational Gap with Implementing of Teaching Scholarship in Virtual Multidisciplinary Tumor Boards

Abstract

Background: Cancer management has become increasingly challenging due to the emergence of a personalized approach that requires careful assessment, multidisciplinary efforts, and experienced physicians. Objectives: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on executing all medical meetings as well as multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTB), we decided to design, perform, and evaluate a teaching scholarship in virtual MTB for urologic cancer patients. Methods: In this prospective study from December 2020 to July 2022, the authors evaluated the designing, implementation, and learning efficacy of a virtual tumor board in the Urology Department of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU). All the faculty members (N = 25) and urology residents (N = 35) were included in this investigation. To make the sessions multidisciplinary, other related departments including pathology, radio-oncology, medical oncology, radiology, and nuclear medicine were also included. Virtual tumor boards were implanted monthly in 20 sessions. Results: A short interview was conducted for the needs assessment. The faculty members' and residents’ statements were divided into high, intermediate, and low importance. After implementation, a satisfaction questionnaire based on the first level of the Kirkpatrick model was recorded and the means were 76% and 71% in faculty members and residents respectively for virtual execution. The results of evaluating the intervention according to the second level of the Kirkpatrick model and through the tests before and after tumor boards were recorded and the mean differences evaluated by paired t test were statistically significant. In the last step for external evaluation, the satisfaction rate of 5 arbitrators was 75% for executing a proper virtual MTB. Conclusions: A virtual board is an effective learning method for the medical education of urology residents. It could help the practitioner to coordinate and discuss with different specialties and lead to the best decision for urologic cancer patients.