@article{064180c459bc4a69a9d45af36a724956,
title = "Improving anatomic pathology in sub-saharan Africa to support cancer care",
abstract = "Objectives: Cancer care requires both accurate pathologic diagnosis as well as pathologic cancer staging. We evaluated three approaches to training pathologists in sub- Saharan Africa to perform pathologic cancer staging of breast, cervix, prostate, and colorectal cancers. Methods: One of three training methods was used at each workshop: Didactic, case-based testing (CBT), or a blended approach. The project involved 52 participants from 16 pathology departments in 11 countries in East, Central, and Southern Africa. Evaluation of each method included preand postworkshop knowledge assessments, online pre- And postworkshop surveys of practice changes at the individual and institutional levels, and selected site visits. Results: While CBT resulted in the highest overall average postassessment individual scores, both CBT and blended approaches resulted in 19% increases in average scores from pre- to postworkshop assessments. Institutions that participated in the blended workshop had increased changes in practice as indicated by the institutional survey. Conclusions: Both CBT and a blended approach are effective methods for training pathologists in pathologic cancer staging. Both are superior to traditional lectures alone.",
keywords = "Cancer care, Education, Global health, Pathology, Training",
author = "Wilson, {Michael L.} and Stephanie Ayers and Daniel Berney and Alexia Eslan and Jeannette Guarner and Susan Lester and Ricard Masia and Zahir Moloo and Angela Mutuku and Drucilla Roberts and Jennifer Stall and Shahin Sayed",
note = "Funding Information: Accurate diagnosis is key to quality cancer care and to generating much of the data in cancer registries.1,2 In most sub-Saharan African countries, as in other low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), varying standards of pathology training and the scarcity of a skilled pathology workforce have limited both access to as well as quality of cancer diagnosis and, in particular, the pathologic staging of cancer.1,2 To help address this gap in cancer diagnosis and staging, access to continuing professional development is a critical need for the anatomic pathology workforce in Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa (ECSA). We describe the findings of Improving Anatomic Pathology Services in Sub-Saharan Africa to Support Cancer Care, a 17-month research project funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, designed to determine which of three training options was the best approach to enhance the skills of anatomic pathologists to perform pathologic staging of four common cancers. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2018. All rights reserved.",
year = "2018",
month = apr,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1093/AJCP/AQX158",
language = "English",
volume = "149",
pages = "310--315",
journal = "American Journal of Clinical Pathology",
issn = "0002-9173",
publisher = "Oxford University Press",
number = "4",
}
