Education in cancer prevention for primary care clinicians

In response to increased public interest in cancer prevention and rapidly escalating health care costs, the National Cancer Institute supported the development of cancer prevention courses for health professionals. A multidisciplinary group of physicians, behavioral scientists, and educators developed, field-tested, revised, and evaluated a 12-module, 24-classroom-hour clinical preventive oncology course for primary care physicians. A rationale for education in cancer prevention is presented, the new clinical discipline of preventive oncology is defined, and contributory disciplines are identified. A curriculum based upon detailed learning objectives is described, short-term evaluation data are presented, and a methodology for incorporating a didactic course into a residency program is suggested. The positive reception given to this course by residents warrants optimism concerning application of a biopsychosocial or self-regulative model rather than the traditional biomedical one to clinical medicine and its teaching.