Making National Cancer Institute–Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center Knowledge Accessible to Community Oncologists via an Online Tumor Board: Longitudinal Observational Study (Preprint)
Author:
Kalra MaitriORCID, Henry ElizabethORCID, McCann KellyORCID, Karuturi Meghan SORCID, Bustamante Alvarez Jean GORCID, Parkes AmandaORCID, Wesolowski RobertORCID, Wei MeiORCID, Mougalian Sarah SORCID, Durm GregoryORCID, Qin AngelORCID, Schonewolf CaitlinORCID, Trivedi MeghnaORCID, Armaghani Avan JORCID, Wilson Frederick HORCID, Iams Wade TORCID, Turk Anita AORCID, Vikas PraveenORCID, Cecchini MichaelORCID, Lubner SamORCID, Pathak PriyadarshiniORCID, Spencer KristenORCID, Koshkin Vadim SORCID, Labriola Matthew KORCID, Marshall Catherine HORCID, Beckermann Katy EORCID, Sharifi Marina NORCID, Bejjani Anthony CORCID, Hotchandani VarshaORCID, Housri SamirORCID, Housri NadineORCID,
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Expert knowledge is often shared among multidisciplinary academic teams at tumor boards (TBs) across the country, but these conversations exist in silos and do not reach the wider oncology community.
OBJECTIVE
Using an oncologist-only question and answer (Q&A) website, we sought to document expert insights from TBs at National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers (NCI-CCCs) to provide educational benefits to the oncology community.
METHODS
We designed a process with the NCI-CCCs to document and share discussions from the TBs focused on areas of practice variation on theMednet, an interactive Q&A website of over 13,000 US oncologists. The faculty translated the TB discussions into concise, non–case-based Q&As on theMednet. Answers were peer reviewed and disseminated in email newsletters to registered oncologists. Reach and engagement were measured. Following each Q&A, a survey question asked how the TB Q&As impacted the readers’ practice.
RESULTS
A total of 23 breast, thoracic, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary programs from 16 NCI-CCC sites participated. Between December 2016 and July 2021, the faculty highlighted 368 questions from their TBs. Q&As were viewed 147,661 times by 7381 oncologists at 3515 institutions from all 50 states. A total of 277 (75%) Q&As were viewed every month. Of the 1063 responses to a survey question on how the Q&A affected clinicians’ practices, 646 (61%) reported that it confirmed their current practice, 163 (20%) indicated that a Q&A would change their future practice, and 214 (15%) reported learning something new.
CONCLUSIONS
Through an online Q&A platform, academics at the NCI-CCCs share knowledge outside the walls of academia with oncologists across the United States. Access to up-to-date expert knowledge can reassure clinicians’ practices, significantly impact patient care in community practices, and be a source of new knowledge and education.
Publisher
JMIR Publications Inc.
|
|