ESTRO 2024 - Abstract Book

S281

Brachytherapy - Gynaecology

ESTRO 2024

Ownership of academic initiatives by local experts has been suggested as a realistic mechanism to influence brachytherapy (BT) resource allocation in developing economies (1). On 01. 09. 2022, we established a non-profit online platform for rapid access to free education on cervical cancer. Our courses are tailored to the specific demographic, epidemiological, and economic characteristics of the host countries. They are based on collaboration of the local oncology society and its professionals with a faculty of leading global experts, who work as volunteers to bring free state-of-the-art education to countries with high burden of cervical cancer and/or limited access to treatment. So far, we created 3 country-specific courses for 1119 participants from 3 low-middle income countries (LMICs). We report on our first experience from the inaugural course, endorsed by ESTRO and designed specifically to meet the educational needs of the radiation oncology community of an Asian country LMIC1. The “LMIC1/ESTRO endorsed Course on Transition from 2D to 3D CT Guided Brachytherapy for Cervical Cancer” was developed in collaboration with the oncology society of LMIC1. It was co-led by 2 directors from the LMIC1, and a director representing international faculty. The faculty consisted of 4 experts from LMIC1, 11 past/present ESTRO teachers, and 5 other global experts on gynecologic oncology. The curriculum included 59 pre-recorded videos of 18 hours’ duration, including lectures, demonstrations, and procedures recordings on the topics from epidemiology, external beam radiotherapy and chemotherapy to transition from 2D to image guided BT, outcomes, and safety considerations. Written material and references were made available to the students. The course stayed open for 7 months, from 1. 09. 2022 until 31. 03. 2023, allowing the students to choose the most convenient time to learn and to select the topics of interest. Chat functionality supported discussions with faculty. Pre-course survey collected participant demographics and patterns of radiotherapy practice. Post-course survey collected feedback on the pedagogic process. The educational content was accredited by the Medical Association of LMIC1 as continuous medical/professional education. There was no registration fee, and no compensation for teachers and organizers. Total course expenditures, 994 Euros, were covered by donation. We performed descriptive analysis of the pre- and post-course surveys. Material/Methods:

Results:

292 radiation oncology professionals were registered to the course by the LMIC1 oncology society. 116 completed the pre-course survey, 108 actively engaged with the course content, 72 completed the entire learning content, and 66 finished the full course, including the exit survey. Table 1 provides the summary of the selected participants’ demographics, patterns of radiotherapy care, and post-course feedback.