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.
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.
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.
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.