Primary care online training on multifactorial breast cancer risk: pre-post evaluation study

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Medical Education

Background:

• Over 250,000 UK women are at increased breast cancer risk, yet few are identified.
• Digital tools like CanRisk facilitate multifactorial breast cancer risk assessment.
• Primary care professionals (PCPs) need educational resources to implement these assessments effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an online training program for UK PCPs on multifactorial breast cancer risk assessment.
• To enhance PCPs' ability to identify women at increased risk of breast cancer.

Main Methods:

• An evidence-based, mixed-methods pre-post evaluation study was conducted.
• 35 UK PCPs participated in the online training and evaluation.
• Objective knowledge was assessed using statistical analysis (paired sample t-test); qualitative feedback was analyzed via content analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in objective knowledge (P=0.011) and subjective knowledge and confidence (P<0.001) were observed.
• The training received positive feedback regarding satisfaction, engagement, and relevance.
• Participants demonstrated improved proficiency in conducting risk assessments.

Conclusions:

• The online training effectively enhances PCPs' knowledge and confidence in multifactorial breast cancer risk assessment.
• The program was well-received by PCPs, indicating its utility in primary care settings.
• This training supports better identification of at-risk women, enabling timely interventions.