Abstract
Site-specific multidisciplinary team (MDT) tumor boards are valuable resources for medical students, enabling them to familiarize themselves with the latest evidence-based cancer management strategies and observe effective teamwork in action. In this study, we looked at the awareness and perceptions of medical students about incorporating MDT tumor boards in the medical curriculum. A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students from year 1 to year 5 at the Aga Khan University after exemption from ethical review committee. A 20-item self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate the awareness and perceptions of medical students regarding MDT tumor boards. A total of 285 medical students participated in this study, with their mean age (± standard deviation) being 21.91 ± 1.67 years. A majority of 183 (64.2%) had no prior knowledge of the existence of a site-specific MDT tumor board for cancer management. Of the 285 students, 252 (88.4%) demonstrated sufficient awareness of the effectiveness of MDT tumor boards; similarly, 232 (81.4%) responded positively to the idea of mandatory tumor board rotations being incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum. No significant association was found between the student’s year of study (χ2 = 6.03, p = 0.20) or gender (χ2 = 35, p = 0.84) and their perceptions of the effectiveness of MDT tumor boards. However, it was found that students who had prior knowledge of their existence had a stronger association with sufficient awareness (χ2 = 4.2, p = 0.04). The results indicate that while the majority of the medical students have no prior attendance or knowledge regarding MDT tumor boards, there is an overwhelming willingness among students to incorporate them into the medical curriculum.
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A.S.A. conceptualized and proposed conducting the project. A.S.A., S.A., and M.S.R. worked on project protocol and ethics review. S.A., H.K.T., and A.S. worked on data collection and filtering. M.A. performed statistical analysis. All authors contributed to the paper. A.N.A. reviewed the paper for final submission.
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An exemption was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee at the Aga Khan University for this study. Since the study did not involve direct interaction with the participants, a waiver for informed consent was obtained. However, still, the first section of the Google Forms questionnaire was used to explain the objectives, aims, risks, and benefits associated with the study to participants. Only the participants agreeing to continue, after understanding such, were included. The data was collected through Google Forms and involved responses at the discretion of the participants. The participants could opt out of the study at any point.
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Aziz, A.S., Rana, M.S., Ahmed, S. et al. Integrating MDT Tumor Board Shadowing into the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum: Perspective of Medical Students. J Canc Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-024-02446-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-024-02446-5