Evaluation of the OncoTCap (Oncology Thinking Cap) simulation in teaching medical students about clinical trials: some successes and some surprises.

OBJECTIVE: A training workshop for cancer clinical trials was developed utilizing a computer simulation encompassing cancer biology, metabolism, adverse effects, and clinical trial design. METHOD: Fourth-year medical students in a neoplasia elective course participated. The workshop was structured to maximize group discussions and interactions. Pretests and posttests were administered in a crossover design to evaluate learning about cancer clinical trials. Results. The comparison showed that the workshop did impart knowledge about cancer clinical trials. CONCLUSIONS: Student evaluations of the workshop showed slight improvements from the first year to the second year.