Abstracts for Session 3B

Click on a tab below to view each abstract for this concurrent session. Plenary session information is provided in the online schedule’s session description, and poster presentation abstracts are provided elsewhere.

Session 3B: Professional Resources for Cancer Education Specialists

Friday, 16 September 2016
9:15am – 10:45am
Room: Cabinet Suite

3B-13B-23B-33B-43B-5

3B-1: The Scientific Elevator Speech: Why It Is the Swiss Army Knife of Professional Communication and How to Create One

Carrie Cameron
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

Abstract: Purpose: Scientific “elevator speeches” (SES) are 90-s overviews of the speaker’s research goals and activities, delivered in nontechnical language. Creating and using an SES benefits junior researchers and health educators in several ways: it increases critical thinking skills through rigorous differentiation and refinement of scientific concepts; it builds poise and confidence through the ability to respond quickly and elegantly in a variety of professional situations; and it promotes greater connection with colleagues and public through thoughtful “translation” of technical language into vocabulary and examples that are accessible to both researchers of other disciplines to lay audiences. Description: The presentation will explain the rationale for educators for teaching trainees to create and use elevator speeches in terms of academic, professional, and career development; outline the steps to create an SES and define the required elements; discuss pedagogical methods that are useful for teaching how to write an SES; and provide examples of ways to use SES in daily life and how to stage an elevator speech competition. Evaluation: The SES workshops and two formal annual competitions have been institutionalized at MD Anderson, and a variety of graduate programs have requested SES training. Preliminary survey data indicates that participating in SES training and competition significantly increases both communal goal affordances (sense that one’s career path will fulfill the desire to help others) and agentic goal affordances (sense that one’s career path will fulfill the desire for achievement), both of which are indicators of career persistence. Usefulness: The SES can be used for research meetings, conferences, interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaborations, job interviews, networking, health care and science advocacy, and many other purposes. At the same time, the process of creating an SES increases critical thinking about scientific research and the understanding of the value of one’s career goals. Learning Objectives: The participant shall be able to list at least two benefits of creating and using a scientific elevator speech, create a practice draft of their own elevator speech, and name at least three elements and three characteristics of good elevator speeches. References: Brownell, S. E., Price, J. V., & Steinman, L. (2013). Science communication to the general public: Why we need to teach undergraduate and graduate students this skill as part of their formal scientific training. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 12(1), E6-E10. Poe, M, Lerner, N, Craig, J. 2010. Learning to communicate in science and engineering. Cambridge: MIT Press. Brown, E. R., Smith, J. L., Thoman, D. B., Allen, J. M., & Muragishi, G. (2015). From Bench to Bedside: A Communal Utility Value Intervention to Enhance Students’ Biomedical Science Motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology. doi:10.1037/edu0000033 

3B-2: Thirty Years of the Journal of Cancer Education: a Review

Darryl Schuitevoerder1, Joseph O’Donnell2, Arthur Michalek3, John Vetto1
1Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA; 2Dartmouth University, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, USA; 3University at Buffalo, Hamburg, NY, USA

Abstract: Background: Since its foundation in 1986, the Journal of Cancer Education (JCE) has served as an important outlet for myriad aspects of cancer education and currently serves as the official journal of the American and European Associations for Cancer Education. During its history, the JCE has been under the auspices of five publishers, with its first full year under the current publisher, Springer, in 2010. Methods: Print and distribution metrics from 2010 to present were obtained from Springer. These were compared to historical data including the first 10 years of the JCE, published by Dr. Bakemeier in 1995. Findings: Since its beginning, the JCE has consisted of four issues per year. The original contract for 256 pages per year has increased to an average of 858 pages from 2010 to 2014. In 2014, the JCE received a total of 332 submissions, up from 270 in 2013, and 158 the year before. This is a stark contrast to the roughly 70 submission received in 1994. Over this same period, the overall rejection rate has increased from 25 % in 2010 to 48 % in 2014. The number of online deals has increased from 285 in 2013 to 347 in 2014 and has been accompanied by a steady increase in the number of full text article downloads, 19,000 in 2010 to 49,000 in 2014. Accordingly, the JCE has seen a pronounced and steady increase in impact factor, rising from 0.52 in 2009 to 1.23 in 2014. Discussion: Since moving to Springer, the JCE has seen unprecedented growth, receiving increasing submissions yearly, an increasing number of subscription deals and online full text downloads, and a corresponding increase in impact factor. Learning Objectives: The participant shall be able to identify two areas of recent growth as well as describe the history and future directions of the Journal of Cancer Education. References: Michalek AM. A New Face at the Door. J Cancer Educ. 2016;31(1):1-5. Vetto JT. Editorial: Colorectal Cancer Screening Education in Medically Vulnerable Populations: the Role of the Journal of Cancer Education. J Cancer Educ. 2015;30(4):611-613. 

3B-3: An Outcomes Method for Showing Trends in Knowledge-Change Data Across Continuing Education Activities Before and After Regulatory Approval of a Novel Precision Cancer Therapy

Sandra Haas Binford1, Lois Colburn2, Heidi Keeler3, Ben Collins4, Karen Overstreet1
1Imedex, LLC, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; 2University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; 3UNMC College of Nursing, Omaha, NE, USA; 4Imedex, LLC, Alpharetta, GA, USA

Abstract: Background: To continue improving treatment for breast cancer (BC), which has high worldwide prevalence, oncologists rely on continuing education (CE) for clinical data regarding therapies for metastatic BC that may overcome existing challenges (see references 1–4): CE helps translate research to practice (5). It is unknown whether oncologists’ assumed interest in learning—as indicated by CE participation— about emerging treatment options translates to CE-associated knowledge change concerning their development and use. Educators require methods to determine whether events affecting the treatment landscape, such as regulatory approval of new therapies, influence learning. Description: We studied knowledge outcomes (6) from several initiatives of CE-certified, live and online activities on precision therapies collected one quarter before and within six quarters after approval of a novel precision agent. Our methodology indicates degrees of knowledge change during a period of widely assumed interest in a newly approved agent as it became available for clinical use. Evaluation: Our method identifies trends in aggregated percent change calculated for individually eligible, multiple-choice items administered immediately before and after participation in a CE activity. A knowledge item was eligible if it met CME standards for testing the clinical science or data regarding the precision agent. Data for each eligible question were divided into quarters by date of post-test completion. Controlling for response count, mean change per question was summarized with all knowledge data found for each quarter, and results were assessed. Usefulness: Educators studying knowledge acquisition for clinical cancer treatment must investigate whether the assumed, time-limited interest in clinical data for a new drug class affects the degree of knowledge change assessed in a CE activity. This new method looks at timing of knowledge acquisition relative to a historical moment, rather than knowledge gained during a single educational project. Discussions of methodological decisions will help educators adapt this technique to other investigations of CE data per relevant events. Learning Objectives: The participant shall be able to adapt the presented method for identifying trends in educational outcomes data relative to a historically relevant event affecting an educational topic and identify magnitude of change in the studied clinicians’ knowledge of a newly approved precision breast cancer treatment agent and its underlying science over seven quarters surrounding that agent’s regulatory approval. References: LEE011 in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01958021. A study of palbociclib + letrozole . https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01740427. A study of LY2835219 + fulvestrant. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02107703. Expanded access study of palbociclib. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02142868.  Robinson C, Ruggiero J, Abdolrasulnia M, Burton BS. J Cancer Educ. 2015;30(1):75-80. Moore DE Jr, Green JS, Gallis HA. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2009;29(1):1-15.

3B-4: Quality of Surgical Patient Education Offered to Cancer Patients by Professional Associations

Kathleen Heneghan, Ajit Sachdeva, Candice Gillett
American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL, USA

Abstract: Background/Purpose: Over 80 % of the 15 million people diagnosed with cancer worldwide will need surgery as part of their diagnostic or treatment plan (Sullivan et al., 2015). Surgeons are often the first health care provider patients encounter. Cancer patients and caregivers seek information on the Internet to regain control and more actively participate in medical decision making (Lithner et al., 2015). While the public and professionals trust the information from association and government sites, medical information on the Internet remains unregulated, with quality and accuracy unreliable and inconsistent. The purpose of this study is to assess the quality, readability, and availability of patient education developed by surgical associations. Methods: Triangulation methodology provided qualitative and quantitative data from surgical association representatives and websites. Descriptive statistics determined the quality of resources that met the following criteria: Flesch-Kincaid Readability Algorithm, DISCERN instrument, and the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Informed Consent guidelines. Qualitative data from association representatives was obtained through teleconference. Results/Findings: Thirty-one percent (23/74) had patient education. English only was available on 69.5 % (16/23) and 17 % (4/23) websites offered blind/low literacy audio resources. DISCERN tool ratings were excellent (8.6 %), good (30.4 %), fair (26 %), poor (30.4 %), and very poor (4 %). One website had content that followed all of the ACS Informed Consent guidelines with the others deficient in covering diagnosis, prognosis, pharmacotherapy, wound care, diet restrictions, activity requirements, and symptoms of worsening conditions. Readability was grade 9 (average). Qualitative results confirmed the need for quality criteria, standardization, public access, professional review, and availability at the point of care. Conclusion: The quality of surgical patient education on association sites is highly variable, with few sites meeting all the recommended standards. Access is restricted at the point of care due to no delivery option within the EHR system. The ACS is leading a collaborative effort to develop accreditation standards for patient education content. Learning Objectives: Determine the quality and availability of surgical cancer patient education from surgical association sites. Identify accreditation standards to improve the quality and availability of association-developed patient education. References: Sullivan, Richard et al. Global cancer surgery: delivering safe, affordable, and timely cancer surgery. The Lancet Oncology, Volume 16, Issue 11, 1193–1224. Lithner M, Klefsgard R, Johansson J, Andersson E. The significance of information after discharge for colorectal cancer surgery—a qualitative study. BMC Nursing. 2015;14:36. doi:10.1186/s12912015-0086-6.

3B-5: Automated Tracking of Publications for Long-term Evaluation of Cancer Training Programs

Aly Padilla, Renee Desmond, C. Michael Brooks, John Waterbor
UAB School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL, USA

Abstract: Background/Purpose: Cancer research training programs are in need of improved quality control measures to document the career paths and professional productivity of program graduates. A key measure of program value is the number of peer-reviewed publications following training. Program graduates cannot be relied upon to spontaneously report their publications, leaving program staff to conduct manual electronic literature searches on each graduate. This approach is painstaking, and the process must be repeated annually with mounting numbers of graduates to track. The purpose of this study is to compare the results of an automated method for tracking publications versus manual searches. Description: After training using a software called “Scopus” (from Elsevier), alerts were set so that the program director would receive monthly email messages updating all peer-reviewed publications of our 278 program graduates. We compared these findings with the results of our most recent individual literature searches on these program graduates. Evaluation: Manual searches had found 232 cancer-related publications. Scopus found 310 cancer-related publications, 220 that had been found manually plus 90 more. But Scopus missed 12 publications found by manual searches. By using manual searches and Scopus, we found 322 publications: 220 found in common plus 12 found only manually plus 90 found only by Scopus. Usefulness: The Scopus method for author searches identified many more publications than our most recent manual searches. We believe that Scopus is a key tool for comprehensive training program evaluation. Considerable start-up time is one limitation. The training period took several hours, and inputting the necessary identifying data on 278 graduates (including several versions of each author name) took several weeks. Another limitation is that Scopus can be costly; yet, another is that persons who have never published cannot be entered into the Scopus system and must be searched periodically. Manual searches must be used as an adjunct to Scopus results so that discrepancies can be resolved and the publications of first-time authors can be found. Learning Objectives: The participant shall be able to describe the steps involved in setting up the Scopus system of automated literature searches, quantify the comparison of Scopus system literature search results versus manual literature search results, list the strengths and advantages of the Scopus approach compared to manual literature searches, list the limitations and disadvantages of relying on the Scopus approach only, and list reasons why manual searches must be done as an adjunct to Scopus searches. References: 1. Zier K, Wyatt C, Muller D (2012) An innovative portfolio of research training programs for medical students. Immunol Res 54(1-3):286–291. doi:10.1007/s12026-012-8310-x, Review. PMID: 22418729. 2. Jimmy R, Palatty PL, D’Silva P, Baliga MS, Singh A (2013) Are medical students inclined to do research? J Clin Diagn Res 7(12):2892–5. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2013/6698.3786, PMID:24551667. 3. Nikkar-Esfahani A, Jamjoom AA, Fitzgerald JE (2012) Extracurricular participation in research and audit by medical students: opportunities, obstacles, motivation and outcomes. Med Teach 34(5):e317–24. doi:10.3109/0142159X.2012.670324