Improving Medical Students’ Awareness About Retinoblastoma: A Practical Strategy
Mutasem Elfalah,1 Tamara AlNawaiseh,1 Dima Atoum,2 Ahmad AlKhassawneh,2 Mona Mohammad,3 Ibrahim AlNawaiseh,3 Yacoub A Yousef3 1School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; 2School of Medicine, AlYarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan; 3Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), King Hussein C...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Dove Medical Press
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Clinical Ophthalmology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.dovepress.com/improving-medical-students-awareness-about-retinoblastoma-a-practical--peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OPTH |
| _version_ | 1818230236827877376 |
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| author | Elfalah M AlNawaiseh T Atoum D AlKhassawneh A Mohammad M AlNawaiseh I Yousef YA |
| author_facet | Elfalah M AlNawaiseh T Atoum D AlKhassawneh A Mohammad M AlNawaiseh I Yousef YA |
| author_sort | Elfalah M |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mutasem Elfalah,1 Tamara AlNawaiseh,1 Dima Atoum,2 Ahmad AlKhassawneh,2 Mona Mohammad,3 Ibrahim AlNawaiseh,3 Yacoub A Yousef3 1School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; 2School of Medicine, AlYarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan; 3Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, JordanCorrespondence: Yacoub A Yousef, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), King Hussein Cancer Center, Queen Rania Al-Abdullah Street, P.O Box 1269, Amman, 11941, Jordan, Tel +00962787228749, Email yyousef@khcc.joBackground: Eye salvage and survival for patients with retinoblastoma (RB) can be improved by enhancement of early diagnosis. This study aims to investigate the impact of modifying the teaching curriculum for medical students about awareness of this condition.Methods: Medical students completed a questionnaire about RB, preluded by a photograph of a child with leukocoria. Participants were divided into group A (138 participants) and group B (151 participants) who are medical students who have completed the ophthalmology rotation before and after implementing modifications on teaching curriculum that focuses on the red flags of RB consecutively.Results: Most participants considered leukocoria an abnormal sign. Group A had significantly lower knowledge about diagnosis for RB (P=0.0001). Participants scored higher in group B for the critical questions, such as knowing that RB is a fatal disease (P=0.041) that needs urgent treatment (P=0.042). Only three (2%) students adopted the “watch and wait” strategy in group B, compared to 16 (12%) in group A (P=0.0013). Overall, proficiency score (≥ 90%) was achieved by 12 (8%) students in group B, but only three (2%) students in group A. Only 41 (27%) students in group B, compared to 90 (65%) students in group A, failed to obtain a sufficiency score (≥ 70%) in the questionnaire.Conclusion: Modifying the teaching curriculum of the ophthalmology rotation with an intensified focus on awareness of the life-threatening condition retinoblastoma improved medical students’ knowledge of this malignancy. This intervention is one of the modalities that can lead to a reduction in diagnosis and referral delays and improvement in outcome and survival.Keywords: leukocoria, medical students, retinoblastoma |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T10:31:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a4dc834bbf534b9ea458cd39b52fcfba |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1177-5483 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T10:31:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Dove Medical Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clinical Ophthalmology |
| spelling | doaj.art-a4dc834bbf534b9ea458cd39b52fcfba2022-12-22T00:27:21ZengDove Medical PressClinical Ophthalmology1177-54832022-06-01Volume 161807181475778Improving Medical Students’ Awareness About Retinoblastoma: A Practical StrategyElfalah MAlNawaiseh TAtoum DAlKhassawneh AMohammad MAlNawaiseh IYousef YAMutasem Elfalah,1 Tamara AlNawaiseh,1 Dima Atoum,2 Ahmad AlKhassawneh,2 Mona Mohammad,3 Ibrahim AlNawaiseh,3 Yacoub A Yousef3 1School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; 2School of Medicine, AlYarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan; 3Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, JordanCorrespondence: Yacoub A Yousef, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), King Hussein Cancer Center, Queen Rania Al-Abdullah Street, P.O Box 1269, Amman, 11941, Jordan, Tel +00962787228749, Email yyousef@khcc.joBackground: Eye salvage and survival for patients with retinoblastoma (RB) can be improved by enhancement of early diagnosis. This study aims to investigate the impact of modifying the teaching curriculum for medical students about awareness of this condition.Methods: Medical students completed a questionnaire about RB, preluded by a photograph of a child with leukocoria. Participants were divided into group A (138 participants) and group B (151 participants) who are medical students who have completed the ophthalmology rotation before and after implementing modifications on teaching curriculum that focuses on the red flags of RB consecutively.Results: Most participants considered leukocoria an abnormal sign. Group A had significantly lower knowledge about diagnosis for RB (P=0.0001). Participants scored higher in group B for the critical questions, such as knowing that RB is a fatal disease (P=0.041) that needs urgent treatment (P=0.042). Only three (2%) students adopted the “watch and wait” strategy in group B, compared to 16 (12%) in group A (P=0.0013). Overall, proficiency score (≥ 90%) was achieved by 12 (8%) students in group B, but only three (2%) students in group A. Only 41 (27%) students in group B, compared to 90 (65%) students in group A, failed to obtain a sufficiency score (≥ 70%) in the questionnaire.Conclusion: Modifying the teaching curriculum of the ophthalmology rotation with an intensified focus on awareness of the life-threatening condition retinoblastoma improved medical students’ knowledge of this malignancy. This intervention is one of the modalities that can lead to a reduction in diagnosis and referral delays and improvement in outcome and survival.Keywords: leukocoria, medical students, retinoblastomahttps://www.dovepress.com/improving-medical-students-awareness-about-retinoblastoma-a-practical--peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OPTHleukocoriamedical studentsretinoblastoma |
| spellingShingle | Elfalah M AlNawaiseh T Atoum D AlKhassawneh A Mohammad M AlNawaiseh I Yousef YA Improving Medical Students’ Awareness About Retinoblastoma: A Practical Strategy Clinical Ophthalmology leukocoria medical students retinoblastoma |
| title | Improving Medical Students’ Awareness About Retinoblastoma: A Practical Strategy |
| title_full | Improving Medical Students’ Awareness About Retinoblastoma: A Practical Strategy |
| title_fullStr | Improving Medical Students’ Awareness About Retinoblastoma: A Practical Strategy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving Medical Students’ Awareness About Retinoblastoma: A Practical Strategy |
| title_short | Improving Medical Students’ Awareness About Retinoblastoma: A Practical Strategy |
| title_sort | improving medical students rsquo awareness about retinoblastoma a practical strategy |
| topic | leukocoria medical students retinoblastoma |
| url | https://www.dovepress.com/improving-medical-students-awareness-about-retinoblastoma-a-practical--peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OPTH |
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