Abstract PO-073: Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncologists’ online CME consumption and educational needs
Authors: Worst Michelle A. , Lucero Katie 
Published: December 2020

Introduction: COVID-19 has the ability to make certain populations particularly vulnerable to infection, including those with cancer. Data relating to how the virus is transmitted, vulnerability, preventative measures, and treatment have evolved almost daily since the start of the pandemic, particularly in those with cancer. In response, various advocacy groups and scientific bodies have provided guidance on how to provide cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of June 1, 2020, Medscape has published 27 online continuing medical education (CME) activities about COVID-19. These have drawn 2353 oncologist learners. COVID-19 is the #1 news topic since January for oncologists. Despite the growing body of evidence, many oncologists are either unaware or unsure of safe and optimal ways to provide cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, survey data indicate that 67% of community oncologists access online CME either daily or at least once a week. Thus, the purpose of the study was to examine content consumption patterns online and assess potential education needs as they relate to treating cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Medscape deployed incentivized surveys in March and April 2020 and analyzed content consumption patterns on Medscape.org and .com of oncologist Medscape members in March 2020 as compared to March 2019 (i.e., year over year [YOY]) (n=20,460).

Results: Of the total 166 oncologists who participated, the majority practiced in the community setting. 29% of oncologists indicated changing practice in the last week and 41% in the last month. Use of desktop rather than mobile devices to access CME has increased from 68% to 85% YOY from March 2019 to March 2020 and may be due to oncologists being at home more in recent months. Overall, there is a 7% YOY increase in online CME visits, and a 66% YOY increase in visits to Medscape News. Only 26% of oncologists indicated they were very knowledgeable regarding how to manage patients with cancer, and 14% were very confident in their ability to address clinical decisions regarding treatment of patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were most interested in additional education on management of infected COVID-19 patients with cancer on immunotherapy (78%), targeted therapy (60%), and chemotherapy (60%), and they had a preference for learning via video and text over audio only.

Conclusions: Many oncologists access online CME at least once a week in order to learn about the latest developments, including COVID-19, and to find answers to specific questions. Oncologists are seeking out online CME more than in the previous year. They indicate not feeling very knowledgeable or confident about treating and managing patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. They overwhelmingly desire CME about immunotherapy. Taken together, results indicate a strong need for online CME to help oncologists provide optimal care to their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citation Format: Michelle A. Worst, Katie Lucero. Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncologists’ online CME consumption and educational needs [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2020 Jul 20-22. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(18_Suppl):Abstract nr PO-073.