The teaching of clinical oncology in Italian medical schools. A survey among teachers and students

BACKGROUND:: Oncologists, health care workers and health organizations considerwell-performed teaching programs in clinical oncology a fundamentalstep in cancer control. The aim of our study was to assess theviews of teachers and students on the present status of oncologyteaching in Italian medical schools and on the most common shortcomingsin cancer education. MATERIALS AND METHODS:: A survey was carried out among teachers and students of 17 Italianmedical schools using two different questionnaires. Six hundredforty-seven students of Northern, Central and Southern Italyin the final two years (5th and 6th) of their medical curriculumand 87 professors of pathology, surgery, internal medicine andmedical oncology completed the questionnaires. RESULTS:: Doctor/patient relationships and integration among disciplineswere the most unsatisfactory aspects of oncology teaching, accordingto students. Biology, epidemiology, radiotherapy, and medicaltreatment were felt to be in-sufficiently treated, whilst diagnosticaspects, clinical management and surgery were rated sufficient.The median number of cancer patients to whom each student hadaccess during his/her training was limited, averaging only 13patients; however, a high degree of variability was noted. Alarger number of patients was generally observed in smaller,less crowded medical schools, with notable exceptions. Althoughthe majority of teachers had clinical practices related to theirdisciplines, only a small number of students underwent a periodof clinical training. Traditional methods of teaching were preferredto innovative methods, while interaction among disciplines wasuncommon. CONCLUSIONS: This survey emphasizes the dualism between students' expectationsand teachers' ideas about cancer teaching. Doctor/patient relationshipsand poor attention to practical clinical problems seem the mostcritical issues for clinical oncology training in Italian medicalschools. curriculum, medical education, medical oncology, medical schools, survey, teaching methods