title: Identifying Educational Needs of the Multidisciplinary Cancer Team in the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer.
abstract: Background:Rapid advancements in the field of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) add to the complexity of managing patients with this disease. An educational needs assessment of multidisciplinary mBC clinicians was executed to identify practice performance gaps and recommend educational strategies aimed at closing these gaps.Methods:To ensure a collection of reliable data for assessment, a systematic process was used to design, develop, and validate the tools that were used. This grounded theory approach included assessment and confirmation by clinical experts and validation testing within the target audiences. A mixed-methods approach was used to identify practice performance gaps in care, using both qualitative in-depth interviews and quantitative surveying. The quantitative survey assessment consisted of 2 main sections: the Clinician Change Readiness Inventory tool and a Clinical Knowledge and Practice Assessment.Results:The study included 42 clinicians in the interview phase and 186 clinicians in the survey phase from 36 different states. Five key practice performance gaps were identified: (1) selecting optimal treatment, (2) personalizing therapy, (3) monitoring mBC, (4) engaging in effective communication, and (5) balancing patient access and time. Most of the gaps overlap and are related to the integral role communication plays in management decision-making in mBC.Conclusions:Awareness of the key practice performance gaps is critical to inform improvements in quality care.
authors.affiliation: Haymarket Medical Education, Paramus, New Jersey
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wanchoo
authors.affiliation: Healthcare Performance Consulting, Zionsville, Indiana
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Larrison
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Sutter Health, Santa Rosa, California
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cantril
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.affiliation: Haymarket Medical Education, Paramus, New Jersey
authors.forename: Ruchit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parikh
authors.affiliation: Haymarket Medical Education, Paramus, New Jersey
authors.forename: Ana-Marija
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Djordjevic
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003142:Communication; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D066296:Grounded Theory; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States