Teaching adjuvant endocrine breast cancer treatment to medical students

Background: In undergraduate medical education, students are supposed to acquire knowledge and understanding about the basic principles of adjuvant breast cancer treatment. The best education method in this context is unknown. In this randomised study we assessed the effect of designing a patient education poster on knowledge, perceived participation and students' satisfaction compared with case-oriented education concerning endocrine therapy for breast cancer patients. Methods: This study was conducted in the Bachelor Oncology Course for undergraduate students in Medical Science of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre. In the experimental group, students designed and created a patient education poster in small groups. In the control group, students answered case-based questions in small groups. Knowledge was tested at different moments using multiple-choice questions. To assess perceived participation and satisfaction, students filled out questionnaires. Results: 329 students participated in the study. No difference in knowledge was observed between the experimental and control group. However, students in the control group reported a higher perceived participation and satisfaction compared with the students in the experimental group (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, working on case-based questions was preferred compared with designing a patient education poster in terms of students' perceived participation and satisfaction. Working on case-based questions may be appreciated by medical students as most relevant for their future profession. We advocate more attention to the importance of patient education in the medical curriculum, to help students realise the relevance of this aspect of medical profession.