Implementation of an immune-related adverse events (irAE) education program for healthcare professionals at an Australian multisite tertiary health service

Amy Davies, Edmond M. Kwan, Peter Briggs, Eva Segelov

Research output: Contribution to journalMeeting Abstractpeer-review

Abstract

Objective:
As indications for immune checkpoint inhibitors continue to expand, it is imperative that healthcare professionals across all medical disciplines become familiar with immune-related adverse events (irAE). Herein, we describe the design and implementation of an education program aimed at raising awareness of irAEs across our multisite hospital network.
Methods:
Following focus group meetings to determine the optimal design and content of the education program, a one-hour presentation was created to meet the specific learning objectives of the target audience. The program was delivered to three groups: Emergency Department specialist registrars, Clinical Trials Centre nursing staff and junior medical officers. Participants were assessed before and immediately after the presentation using case-based multiple-choice questions via the game-based learning platform, Kahoot®. Data was collected regarding percentage of questions answered correctly and total response time.
Results:
Ninety participants were involved in three education sessions. In all three groups there was a higher percentage of questions answered correctly in the post-presentation quiz. Emergency Department specialist registrars answered 29% correctly in the pre-test compared to 95% in the post-test. Clinical Trial Centre nursing staff improved from 49% to 89%, respectively. The junior medical officer cohort improved from 33% to 77%, respectively. There was a significant improvement in the response speed in the pre-presentation quiz (mean 16 sec, SD 0.8) compared to post-presentation quiz (mean 6 sec, SD 2.0); t(2)12.4, CI 6.9-14.2, p=0.006.
Conclusion:
In this pilot program, an educational program focused on irAEs demonstrated real-time improvement in knowledge base of attendees from a broad range of healthcare disciplines. Future directions include longer term follow-up and expansion to other disciplines (intensive care, radiation oncology). Educational programs of the nature described here will continue to play a critical role in equipping non-oncology healthcare professionals with the knowledge required for early recognition and management of irAEs.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)191-192
Number of pages2
JournalAsia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology
Volume15
Issue numberS9
Publication statusPublished - 2019
EventClinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2019 - Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide, Australia
Duration: 12 Nov 201914 Nov 2019
Conference number: 46th
https://www.cosa.org.au/events/2019/11/cosas-46th-annual-scientific-meeting-2019/

Cite this