Cancer knowledge and skills among interns lower than a decade ago
A study of medical course types and the knowledge and skills of interns in 1990 and 2001 has found that Australia is not necessarily producing doctors with better knowledge of cancer than a decade ago.
The comprehensive study of 401 interns - conducted by Michael B Barton, Martin H Tattersall, Phyllis N Butow, Sally Crossing, Konrad Jamrozik, Bin Jalaludin, Christopher H Atkinson and Sharon E Miles - is published in the latest edition of the Medical Journal of Australia.
Professor Michael Barton says his team set out to assess the cancer knowledge and skills of interns in 2001 and compare them with a similar group surveyed in 1990.
There was also comparative analysis of the skills and knowledge of interns from graduate medical program (GMP) courses with those from non-GMP courses in 2001.
"Interns from GMP courses felt more competent than non-GMP interns at discussing death, breaking bad news, and advising on smoking cessation, but less competent at preparing a patient for a hazardous procedure," Professor Barton says.
"Knowledge about cancer risks and prognosis was significantly less in GMP interns, but GMP interns rated their clinical skills, such as taking a Pap smear, higher than non-GMP interns."
Overall, however, both 2001 groups had less exposure to patients with cancer than those who trained 10 years ago.
Fewer than half the interns surveyed had ever examined a patient with rectal or prostate cancer, and some had never examined a patient with melanoma or mouth cancer.
"We hope that our findings prompt the more widespread adoption of the Cancer Council Australia's Ideal Oncology Curriculum," Professor Barton says.
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
CONTACT: Professor Michael Barton 0409 466 255 (Sunday)
02 9828 6541 (Monday)
Judith Tokley, AMA 0408 824 306