Prostate Cancer
Conditions
Keywords
Medical Education, Educational Technology, Clinical Practice Guideline, Prostate specific antigen
Brief summary
Two memory research findings (the spacing and testing effects) can dramatically improve retention of learning, but they have largely have been ignored by educators. The researchers have developed a novel form of online education (termed 'spaced education') based on these two effects which has been shown in randomized trials to improve knowledge acquisition and boost learning retention. Using prostate cancer screening as an experimental system, the researchers investigated whether spaced education could durably improve clinicians' behaviors, not just their knowledge.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALOnline spaced education
Spaced education is currently delivered via periodic emails that contain clinical case scenarios and multiple-choice questions. Upon submitting answers to each question online, clinicians receive immediate feedback and educational material. The questions are then repeated over spaced intervals of time to harness the pedagogical benefits of the spacing effect.
Sponsors
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
American Urological Association
Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Wyeth is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer
Harvard University Faculty of Medicine
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Primary care providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) from the 8 Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals in the New England region (Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 \[VISN-1\]) were eligible to enroll.
Exclusion criteria
* Primary care providers (PCPs) who ordered PSA as a screen for prostate cancer less than 10 times each year were excluded.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of inappropriate prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening performed by clinicians | Weeks 1-108 | The primary outcome measure was the difference in the percentage of inappropriate PSA screening performed by clinicians in the spaced education and control cohorts. Based on published clinical guidelines and reports, inappropriate PSA utilization was defined as the use of PSA for prostate cancer screening in patients \>76 or \<40 years old, or with an estimated life expectancy of less than 10 years. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in spaced education performance measured in weeks 1-36 | Weeks 1-36 | — |
| Change in test scores between cohorts measured in weeks 1-36 | Weeks 1-36 | — |
| Clinicians' intention to participate in future spaced education programs | Week 36 | Assessed on end-of program survey at week 36 |
| Time required by clinicians to complete the spaced education questions-explanations | Week 36 | Assessed on end-of program survey at week 36 |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed