Impact of psychoeducation on oncology-related knowledge and attitudes toward truth-telling, fairness, and beneficence in oncology care among medical residents from diverse specialties

Abstract

Background Little is known about the effects of psychoeducational interventions on attitudes toward honest communication, equitable care, and acting in the cancer patient's best interests. We assessed the impact of a psychoeducational intervention on oncology-related knowledge and attitudes toward truth-telling, fairness, and beneficence in oncology care among medical residents from diverse specialties. We also examined factors associated with successful knowledge acquisition and changes in attitude. Methods This was a quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-measures conducted at a public tertiary-care and teaching hospital. All residents were invited to participate, except those in the oncology specialty. The first measurement included 369 residents and the second 278 (loss rate = 24.7%). The intervention integrated psychological principles with educational strategies. It comprised either two 90-min sessions or 3 60-min sessions, delivered weekly or biweekly, and employed a range of psychoeducational techniques. Participants self-assessed their basic oncology-related knowledge using 7 questions (scored 0–100) and attitudes toward truth-telling, fairness, and beneficence in oncology care using 17 questions (scored 0–17). The effect size (ES) for repeated-measures designs was estimated to assess the magnitude of the observed change. A multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis examined factors associated with knowledge acquisition and attitude change, categorized as successful, partially successful, or unsuccessful. Results Mean oncology knowledge significantly increased following the intervention (51.8 ± 17.6 vs. 58.4 ± 17.7, p < 0.001; ES = 0.38). Being male was associated with lower odds of success (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.31, 0.98), whereas training in a non–primary care–oriented specialty was associated with higher odds of success (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.01, 3.84). Mean attitude also significantly improved following the intervention (12.3 ± 2.1 vs. 13.6 ± 2.0, p < 0.0001; ES = 0.64), and self-reported anxiety was associated with lower odds of successful attitude change (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.24–0.71). Conclusions The psychoeducational intervention was associated with moderate improvements in attitudes and modest improvements in oncology knowledge. The majority of residents still did not reach the desired level of knowledge, indicating that important educational gaps remained. Differences by sex, specialty orientation, and anxiety highlight the influence of learner characteristics on intervention outcomes.