Evaluating the Impact of an Integrative Oncology Training Program for Healthcare Providers

Overview

The goal of this study is to learn about the short- and long-term effects of two medical education approaches to teaching integrative oncology (IO) in a multi-disciplinary group of healthcare providers attending a national IO training. The main question it aims to answer is: Does active medical education approach focusing on IO-related skills is associated with better training outcomes compared to clerkship-based observation of IO clinics? Participants (trainees) will answer online survey questions about their knowledge, attitudes, and clinical proficiencies along the training process.

The study is conducted within a multi-centered, prospective, controlled and randomized format, using a mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology. Participants eligible for study inclusion are healthcare providers (HCPs, nurses, physicians, para-medical, or complementary medicine practitioners), age ≥ 18 years enrolling in a structured IO training program. Trainees are randomly allocated to either the Enhanced IO Training arm (Group A) or Standard IO Training arm of the study (Group B). Participants in both study arms undergo 110-hour online section of the IO training course, followed by 170-hour practical training. Those in the Enhanced IO Training arm undergo practical training, based on the five-item competency curriculum adapted from the list of knowledge, skills, and ability-related competencies recommended by the Society for Integrative Oncology. The five-item competency-based curriculum include the following two clinical implementation competencies: * Anxiety relief using a mind-body modality (e.g., breathing, relaxation, guided imagery) * Improving pain with touch modalities (e.g., acupressure, acupuncture, reflexology), including use of acupressure points with established effectiveness in the reduction of cancer pain Participants in the Standard IO training group (Group B) will observe from the side during the IO practitioner-patient interaction. The practical section of the training program will include two mentoring days, the first scheduled at the beginning of the 110-hour theory-based IO training, the second at the conclusion of this training. Participants in both study groups will be exposed during the two mentoring days to between 3-5 clinical IO therapeutic interactions with patients admitted to the oncology center.