title: A survey of the educational environment for oncologists as perceived by surgical oncology professionals in India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The current educational environment may need enhancement to tackle the rising cancer burden in India. The aim of this study was to conduct a survey of Surgical Oncologists to identify their perceptions of the current state of Oncology education in India.
  
  
  METHODS
  An Institutional Review Board approved questionnaire was developed to target the audience of the 2009 annual meeting of the Indian Association of Surgical Oncology in India. The survey collected demographic information and asked respondents to provide their opinions about Oncology education in India.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 205 out of 408 attendee's participated in the survey with a 42.7% response rate. The majority of respondents felt that Oncology education was poor to fair during medical school (75%), residency (56%) and for practicing physicians (71%). The majority of participants also felt that the quality of continuing medical education was poor and that minimal emphasis was placed on evidence based medicine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of our survey demonstrate that the majority of respondents feel that the current educational environment for Oncology in India should be enhanced. The study identified perceptions of several gaps and needs, which can be the targets for implementing measures to enhance the training of Oncology professionals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA. care@unmc.edu
authors.forename: Chandrakanth
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Are
authors.forename: Madhuri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Are
authors.forename: Hemanth
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raj
authors.forename: Vijayakumar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Manavalan
authors.forename: Lois
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colburn
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stoddard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000193:education*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires