Evaluation of Pediatric Oncology Education Interventions for Physicians in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review.

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.