Enhancing Radiation Oncology Training through Patient Advocate Integration

Area of Science:

• Medical research training
• Patient advocacy in science

Background:

• Patient advocates offer unique perspectives to research.
• Integrating patient advocates into training can enhance scientific understanding and empathy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of patient advocate feedback on research trainees.
• To evaluate improvements in trainees' communication, empathy, and understanding of research impact.

Main Methods:

• An IRB-approved survey was administered to trainees after interacting with patient advocates.
• Trainees self-assessed lay language use, empathy, and research impact understanding.
• Binomial proportion and Fisher's exact tests were used for significance.

Main Results:

• 80% of trainees completed the survey; most were under 30 and people of color.
• Trainees reported increased empathy (75%) and better understanding of research significance (71.4%) after advocate interaction.
• Most trainees desired advocates in future sessions but not for study design or analysis.

Conclusions:

• Patient advocates enhance trainees' ability to communicate research in lay language and understand its clinical impact.
• Incorporating patient advocates into radiation oncology training strengthens the connection between research and real-world application.
• Future training should consider patient advocate involvement to foster patient-centered research.