The Art of Oncology Education and Knowledge Sharing-It is All About the "How".

Abstract

In the rapidly evolving field of oncology, education and knowledge sharing have become essential aspects of oncology practice and must-needed tools to help patients conquer cancer. Oncology education is an art that needs to be mastered by applying scientific learning methods through structured frameworks into it, in order to have an impact. To effectively educate and share knowledge with oncology professionals, we propose following a "chain of education". This chain consists of five links that are essential for creating a successful educational activity: "who", "why", "where", "what", and "how". By following the "chain of education" through all links leading to the final key of how to educate, and guided by learning science principles, educators can optimize and enhance their teaching and knowledge-sharing skills and educate learners with more impact. Two common scenarios of medical education in oncology are the education of trainees and the education of community oncologists. In this article, we review them through the prism of the "chain of education". We discuss how using effective learning science principles can guide small changes that lead to significant impacts in trainees' education and can also leverage social media platforms in the education of community oncologists. Alongside this described framework, we briefly review some available oncology education resources, and we discuss incorporating the "chain of education" into future technologies.