A survey of cancer curricula in Australian and New Zealand medical schools in 1997. Oncology Education Committee of the Australian Cancer Society

Abstract

Objective: To assess teaching about cancer in medical schools in Australia and New Zealand.

Design and setting: Postal survey of all 12 Australian and New Zealand medical schools in 1997.

Participants: The Dean (or a nominee) of each medical school and the representative of each university on the Oncology Education Committee (OEC) of the Australian Cancer Society.

Outcome measures: Curriculum content, clinical placements and forms of teaching and assessment related to cancer; presence and composition of cancer curriculum planning, and assessment groups.

Results: 22 responses were received from 10 medical schools (from nine Deans or nominees and 13 OEC representatives). Implementation of cancer teaching and overall course structure varied considerably between schools. Nine of these 10 schools had a "cancer planning group", and four were using problem-based learning. Only five schools could readily provide detailed curriculum maps. Courses covered most areas of basic and clinical sciences outlined in the ACS ideal curriculum; chemotherapy and palliative care were taught in all courses, but other subjects were covered less often (e.g., clinical staging, radiation oncology and pain management were taught in nine schools, critical evaluation of medical literature in seven, and economic evaluation in five). Teaching on cancer in clinical placements also varied considerably (e.g., one school devoted no time to palliative care).

Discussion: There has been some improvement in delivery of cancer education in medical schools since 1993, but considerable variation in teaching practice and implementation remains. Difficulty in determining details of course content led directly to difficulty in assessing the quality of teaching about cancer.