Integration of Palliative Care Training into Oncology

描述（由申请人提供）：将姑息治疗整合到所有癌症患者的连续治疗中被认为是最佳肿瘤治疗的必要条件，但这方面的培训不足。每年在美国，150万确诊癌症患者中有30%-50%，50万晚期癌症患者中有70%-90%的人经历着无法缓解的痛苦。尽管研究表明，大多数与癌症相关的痛苦可以通过接受适当姑息治疗培训的肿瘤学家来缓解，但这种情况还是发生了。这种持续的痛苦是未能将姑息治疗知识转化为美国肿瘤学家实践的结果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The integration of palliative care into the continuum of care for all patients with cancer is recognized as essential for optimal oncology care, but trainin in this area is inadequate. Each year in the U.S., 30%-50% of the 1.5 million people diagnosed with cancer and 70%-90% of the 500,000 people with end-stage cancer experience unrelieved suffering. This occurs despite research demonstrating that the majority of suffering associated with cancer can be relieved by oncologists with adequate palliative care training. This persistent suffering is a result of the failure to translate palliative care knowledge to the practices of US oncologists. For the last ten years, we have been developing effective curricular elements for teaching palliative care. In this project, we will build on that track record. We have the commitment of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and its Oncology Training Programs Subcommittee of the Professional Development Committee that represents program directors to develop, evaluate, and disseminate a novel, online curriculum that will improve the training of all oncology fellows in perpetuity. This project has the potential for enormous impact on cancer patients. With the commitment and support of ASCO, its strong education programs and excellent online education platform, and the expertise and experience of the investigators, this proposal has the potential to improve the care of all oncology patients through the advancement and standardization of how palliative care is taught to oncology fellows. The specific aims of this project are: 1. Develop an online interactive curriculum in palliative medicine for oncology fellows accessible through the prominent and successful ASCO University educational website; 2. Test the hypothesis that an online interactive curriculum yields changes in knowledge, skills, and behavior to the same extent as exposure to the online curriculum in addition to participation in a clinical rotation in palliative care; 3. Test the hypothesis that fellows who complete an online interactive curriculum will perform better on the oncology in-training examination than fellows who do not complete such a curriculum; and 4. Test the hypothesis that fellows who complete an online interactive curriculum will change their prescribing behavior.