Impact of Curriculum Content on Resident Attitudes Towards Cancer Care

Residents' clinical and educational experiences affect their views of patient care and their ability to estimate prognosis. We conducted a randomized pilot study to determine if an educational session could influence internal medicine (IM) residents' interest in oncology and their ability to accurately determine the prognosis of cancer patients. We randomized 29 IM residents to attend either a traditional American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) oncology review lecture focusing on cancer complications or a lecture reviewing landmark studies that are the basis of common cancer treatments and prognoses. On the post-lecture questionnaire, residents' interest in oncology and their overall performance on knowledge assessments were similar. However, more residents attending the traditional ABIM lecture inappropriately withdrew care for patients with potentially treatable conditions. Prognostication is an important skill for IM residents, and inaccurate negative biases could potentially lead to serious errors in clinical judgment. Further study is needed with a larger sample size and a more extensive academic curriculum to further assess and improve this skill.