Effective Educational Approaches to Training Physicians About Lung Cancer Screening

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pulmonology
• Public Health

Background:

• The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening (LCS).
• Effective physician education is crucial for successful LCS implementation, covering eligibility, benefits, harms, and shared decision-making.
• No prior studies have evaluated educational approaches for teaching physicians about LCS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of an interactive, group-based learning (GBL) curriculum for educating physicians about LCS.
• To compare GBL with a traditional lecture format regarding knowledge acquisition, educational format acceptability, and implementation ease.

Main Methods:

• A prospective comparative study was conducted at two institutions between 2017 and 2019.
• Physicians (residents and faculty) were assigned to either GBL or lecture-based learning sessions.
• Participant knowledge and format acceptance were assessed via surveys, with results compared between the two groups.

Main Results:

• Physicians in the GBL cohort demonstrated significantly greater total knowledge about LCS compared to the lecture cohort.
• Participants in both cohorts expressed a preference for a blended learning approach combining GBL and lectures.
• All participants believed GBL would more effectively facilitate LCS implementation than lectures.

Conclusions:

• Group-based learning (GBL) is an effective and feasible strategy for educating physicians on lung cancer screening (LCS) and low-dose computed tomography (LDCT).
• While GBL is more resource-intensive than lectures, it is perceived by healthcare providers as superior for facilitating LCS implementation.
• Further integration of GBL into medical education may enhance the uptake of lung cancer screening programs.