Abstract

Sound knowledge of hematology and oncology is a must for a general practitioner to promptly identify and treat life threatening emergencies and refer patients in a timely fashion for management. Optimal pain control is imperative for those patients on supportive care. Rapid growth in the field with several advances and novel therapeutics pose a challenge to students in mastering the fundamentals of the field and developing adequate clinical expertise.

An e-learning platform of 11 micro-modules have recently been developed with the support of Micro-Module Courseware Development Grant Schemes (MMCDG), covering the fundamentals in hematology oncology. These micro-modules are being used since June 2016 as pre engagement materials for final year MBChB students with a subsequent flipped classroom teaching exercise. These flipped classroom sessions have been received very well and are being expanded upon in this academic year.

Our current proposal will develop further on this e-learning platform by introducing 6 case sharing sessions between local and international experts based on the topics covered in the prior micro-modules. We envision this platform to deepen the understanding of our students and general practitioners of different cancers, expose them to international expert views on optimal management and situate these views in the local socioeconomic and cultural context.

Brief write-up

Project objectives

The project was envisioned to develop 6 micro-modules of case discussions between local and international experts on important topics in haematology and oncology. These materials were to serve as a supplement to 11 micro-modules developed previously on core concepts in hematology and oncology which are being used by the final year MBChB students as regular course material since June 2016.

Activities, process and outcomes

These micro-modules have been developed as planned with the collaboration of international faculty from USA including from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The cases for discussion were provided by local faculty, discussed in the modules by international faculty and later annotated by local faculty with local viewpoints, guidelines and learning materials. The material has been circulated to oncology trainees in the department and feedback is being collected. The material will be launched for final MBChB students as course material in June 2019.

Deliverables and evaluation

Six micro-modules of case discussion by local and international experts will be delivered as planned at project completion. Formal feedback will be collected and made available to the grant committee.

Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices

The materials will be disseminated to final MBChB students via the blackboard. They will be made available to the oncology trainees within the department and will also be shared with the overseas institutions participating in this endeavor to use as their teaching material.