The educational yield of the international summer school "Oncology for medical students"

Background. The international summer school "Oncology for Medical Students" (ISOMS) is a two-week summer program for medical students aiming to increase knowledge of cancer care in general health practice, to reduce fear related to contacts with patients with malignant disease, and to expose them to cancer-related problems in other countries. This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of the program on cancer-related knowledge and attitudes of the participants. Method. The 39 students enrolled in the fifth ISOMS in July 2000 were assessed using precourse and postcourse tests. The students and tests were both split in two groups with crossover to improve the validity of the test results. The attitude-related questions were the same in the precourse and postcourse tests. Results. Increases in knowledge were significant (p = 0.001), and there was a slight change in attitudes towards cancer-related problems. Evaluation by the students revealed that the course had mainly improved their overview of the field of oncology, awareness of the psychosocial aspects of cancer care, and approach to cancer patients, which they appreciated more than the knowledge gain. Conclusion. The ISOMS has a significant impact on knowledge as well as on attitudes towards cancer patients.