Efficacy of a fully remote primary lecture series at an academic hematology and oncology fellowship program

ABSTRACT

Background: 615 fellows began training in American combined hematology/oncology fellowship programs in July 2020. These new fellows face a steep learning curve. The coronavirus pandemic has significantly affected how we learn, with programs having to convert most collective learning to a completely virtual format. Research on the efficacy of introductory lecture series in academic hematology/oncology programs is limited especially regarding virtual formats. We introduced a virtual introductory lecture series with the goal of increasing the clinical confidence and knowledge base of first- year fellows. Methods: A once weekly remotelydelivered two-hour primer series was designed with lectures given by both third-year fellows and faculty from July-August 2020. Fellows were asked to complete pre & post-test evaluations of each lecture. Evaluations included a combination of knowledge-based questions & self-reported confidence assessment. Results:14 fellows were assigned pre- and post-tests in the study. 1 fellow was excluded due to lack of participation. A total of 123 paired pre and post-tests were compared. Data analysis was performed with SPSS v 24.0 using the paired samples t-test. Pre and post-tests were graded on a scale of 0-100. The pre to post mean difference compares the mean test result of the post tests to that of the corresponding pretests. Questions were divided into 2 groups. The 1st group tested the fellow's medical knowledge regarding the pathology while the 2nd group tested the comfort in the management, diagnosis and treatment. In the statistical analysis, these questions were defined as 'Knowledge' and 'Comfort' accordingly, the sum as 'Complete'. A statistically significant improvement in post-test knowledge for fellows of all years was noted with a pre to post test mean difference of 12.52, P <.0001. The difference was more pronounced among 1st year fellows with a pre to post test mean difference of 16.84, P <.0001. A similar improvement was seen for the comfort in management questions. The post-test comfort pre to post test mean difference was 10.48, P <.0001 for fellows of all years and 6.70, P <.0001 for first year fellows. Conclusions: A remotely-delivered introductory lecture series for fellows in a hematology/oncology training program increases both clinical knowledge and clinical confidence in fellows of all years of training.