Educational Value of a Medical Student-Led Head and Neck Cancer Screening Event.
Publication/Presentation Date
4-1-2016
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate improvement of medical student knowledge of head and neck cancer (HNC) through participation in HNC screening fairs run by medical students.
STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study of surveys assessing medical students' knowledge of HNC before and after volunteering at screening fairs.
SETTING: Four screening fairs held at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine during Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.
SUBJECTS: Medical student screening fair volunteers.
METHODS: Four HNC screening fairs were organized by medical student volunteers. All students completed a preevent survey assessing baseline knowledge and participated in an otolaryngologist-led training session about HNC and the screening examination. During the screening events, students educated guests about HNC and performed physician-guided history and physical examinations. Finally, students completed identical surveys 1 week and 3 months after the event.
RESULTS: Thirty-four (n = 34) students completed the preevent surveys. At baseline, 59%, 44%, and 24% named tobacco, alcohol, and human papilloma virus as risk factors, compared with 84%, 81%, and 69% on 3 month follow-up, respectively. Out of 6 analyzed questions, the median total number of correctly answered questions improved from 2 on pretest to 5 at 3 months (P < .0001).
CONCLUSION: Volunteer participation in a HNC screening program improves medical students' knowledge of HNC risk factors and symptoms. This innovative approach to students' education via participation and organization of screening events is a useful method of improving their HNC knowledge.
Volume
154
Issue
4
First Page
638
Last Page
644
ISSN
1097-6817
Published In/Presented At
Freiser, M. E., Desai, D. D., Azcarate, P. M., Szczupak, M., Cohen, E. R., Raffa, F. N., George, J. S., Lo, K., Nayak, C. S., Weed, D. T., & Sargi, Z. B. (2016). Educational Value of a Medical Student-Led Head and Neck Cancer Screening Event. Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 154(4), 638–644. https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599815626147
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
26786264
Department(s)
Department of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology
Document Type
Article