Peer-reviewed article
Evaluation of Pediatric Oncology Education Interventions for Physicians in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review.
Fair Berg, Allyson Andujar, Leeanna Fox Irwin, Jordan Horner, Edith Salazar et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This scoping review examined how pediatric oncology education programs for doctors in low- and middle-income countries have been evaluated. The authors searched published studies from 2005 to 2026 and found 27 studies describing educational interventions, mostly continuing education delivered online. Most evaluations measured whether doctors enrolled and what they thought of the training, but fewer measured whether doctors actually learned better skills or whether children's cancer outcomes improved. The review concludes that pediatric oncology education evaluations in low- and middle-income countries need stronger, more consistent measurement approaches.
Key points
- 27 peer-reviewed studies described pediatric oncology education interventions for physicians in LMICs, mostly continuing education with online components
- All 27 studies reported enrollment numbers; 74% reported participant satisfaction; 67% measured learning; 70% measured outcomes
- Only 18.5% (5 studies) cited educational evaluation frameworks or models as the basis for their evaluation approach
- Higher-level evaluations measuring institutional outcomes and patient care remained less common than basic reach and reaction measures
- The review calls for more transparent, standardized, and continuum-based evaluation approaches to strengthen pediatric oncology workforce in LMICs
Limitations
This scoping review maps published education interventions and their evaluation approaches but does not synthesise evidence on which educational methods actually improve physician competency or patient outcomes. The review cannot determine the effectiveness of specific oncology education interventions for children's survival or care quality.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Pediatric oncology remains a global health challenge, as children in low- and middle-income countries are less likely than children in high-income countries to survive. Outcomes-focused pediatric oncology education evaluation frameworks remain essential, as high-quality clinician education remains a positive contributor to workforce development and physician competency development. METHODS: Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a scoping review was conducted with a search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and ERIC for peer-reviewed studies published between January 1, 2005, and May 31, 2026. The goal of the review was to identify published pediatric oncology education interventions for physicians in LMICs and map their evaluation approaches. RESULTS: After duplicate removal, 10,580 unique records were screened, and 27 met criteria for inclusion. Most of the educational interventions described continuing education for practicing physicians and integrated online learning formats in some capacity. Educational evaluation frameworks or models were infrequently cited (18.5%, n = 5) as the basis for evaluation approaches. Reach evaluation levels (e.g., enrollment numbers) were reported by all studies (100%, n = 27), followed by reaction-level (74.1%, n = 20), learning-level (66.7%, n = 18), and outcomes-level (70.4%, n = 19) evaluations. CONCLUSION: Published pediatric oncology educational interventions and their evaluations remain limited. Evaluations at higher levels, such as institutional outcomes and patient care, remain less common, and few studies described theoretical framing for educational evaluation. Future research should consider the development of more transparent, standardized, and continuum-based evaluation approaches as a key contributor to workforce strengthening initiatives in pediatric oncology.