Academic Courses > DOS 741
DOS 741 - Protocols and Studies in Radiation Oncology
Course Description
This class expanded on themes we learned in our Spring semester Research Methods class, and in particular, it explored the ethical, social, operational, and education aspects of clinical trials. We learned that clinical trial participation rates among adult patients are extremely low, and we explored some of the barriers to participation both from the patient's perspective and from the practitioner's perspective. Many patients are excluded because they do not meet all of the qualifying requirements or they have confounding comorbidities. Many exclude themselves because they do not trust experimental medicine. Many are never told that trials are available that may fit their circumstances because the caretakers did not know that the trial existed or they did not have the resources to enable the patient to participate. This class explored all of these factors and more.
Assessment
Grading for this class was almost entirely based on three weekly discussions and on a video project. Each week we wrote about an aspect of human research and then continued the conversation by commenting on other students' posts. The reading that informed our posts expanded our perspective on each topic, and we also tried to relate the topic to personal experiences at our clinical sites. Our 4th week project was a video presentation that served multiple purposes. Firstly, it was a research project that let us choose a clinical trial protocol to learn in detail. Secondly, it was a test of how we could break down a large volume of information into a coherent presentation that we would then present to our fellow students. Lastly, it let us practice speaking in front of an audience by having us record ourselves with webcams while we delivered the presentation that we had composed.
Discussions and Other Writing
Week 1: Ethics, Emotions, and Guinea Pigs
Week 2: Participation Rates in Clinical Trials
Week 3: Research at Loyola
Week 4: RTOG 0933 Video Presentation
Week 2: Participation Rates in Clinical Trials
Week 3: Research at Loyola
Week 4: RTOG 0933 Video Presentation
Reflections
At the conclusion of each course, students are asked to reflect on what they have learned about the material and about themselves. The reflection is guided by five questions:
The new knowledge and skills I gained during this course were...
This course taught me much more about the patient's experience of clinical trials, and about how clinicians interact with patients before, during, and after a trial. To me, clinical trials had always seemed to be a sterile, data-based, academic concept rather than a set of very personal and emotion-laced choices that patients must undertake as part of deciding how their care will proceed.
I had heard the terminology "Phase I" and "Phase II" several times before, but I had never understood the difference between the standardized phases and why each phase is important.
The new knowledge and skills will benefit me by...
I had not been aware that clinical trial participation is so low among adult populations, with only 3% of patients participating. I understand some of the barriers to participation from both the patient's perspective and the provider's perspective, but I also see some ways to make trial participation easier for everyone. I hope to be able to use this knowledge to increase participation rates at whatever facility I end up at after graduation.
I struggle with...
The sheer number of trials and the number of trial organizations is daunting. Going through all of the available trials to see if some are appropriate for a facility's capabilities and for individual patients' needs is a full time job at many centers, as my peers have pointed out in their discussion posts. Learning how to follow a single protocol seems quite achievable, but running multiple trials with slightly different criteria would be difficult to keep straight.
I feel pretty good about...
Now that I know how to look through lists of trials, I am seeing some topics of research that I had never thought of before. It's a smorgasbord of new ideas and new things to learn. For my presentation project I learned about hippocampal sparing, and I will certainly be paying closer attention to hippocampus dose in the future.
Other reflective thoughts...
When I start interviewing for jobs, I will most certainly be asking about the group's clinical trial participation. I think the drive to go through all of the burden of starting up trial participation reflects a drive to succeed and a drive to provide quality care. Trial participation could be a good indicator that I will be able to learn from the people in that group.
The new knowledge and skills I gained during this course were...
This course taught me much more about the patient's experience of clinical trials, and about how clinicians interact with patients before, during, and after a trial. To me, clinical trials had always seemed to be a sterile, data-based, academic concept rather than a set of very personal and emotion-laced choices that patients must undertake as part of deciding how their care will proceed.
I had heard the terminology "Phase I" and "Phase II" several times before, but I had never understood the difference between the standardized phases and why each phase is important.
The new knowledge and skills will benefit me by...
I had not been aware that clinical trial participation is so low among adult populations, with only 3% of patients participating. I understand some of the barriers to participation from both the patient's perspective and the provider's perspective, but I also see some ways to make trial participation easier for everyone. I hope to be able to use this knowledge to increase participation rates at whatever facility I end up at after graduation.
I struggle with...
The sheer number of trials and the number of trial organizations is daunting. Going through all of the available trials to see if some are appropriate for a facility's capabilities and for individual patients' needs is a full time job at many centers, as my peers have pointed out in their discussion posts. Learning how to follow a single protocol seems quite achievable, but running multiple trials with slightly different criteria would be difficult to keep straight.
I feel pretty good about...
Now that I know how to look through lists of trials, I am seeing some topics of research that I had never thought of before. It's a smorgasbord of new ideas and new things to learn. For my presentation project I learned about hippocampal sparing, and I will certainly be paying closer attention to hippocampus dose in the future.
Other reflective thoughts...
When I start interviewing for jobs, I will most certainly be asking about the group's clinical trial participation. I think the drive to go through all of the burden of starting up trial participation reflects a drive to succeed and a drive to provide quality care. Trial participation could be a good indicator that I will be able to learn from the people in that group.
Academic Courses > DOS 741
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Published July 5, 2015
Second Semester, 6 Months into Internship |