Brachytherapy training survey among radiation oncology residents in Europe

We aim to investigate the current state of brachytherapy (BT) training among the radiation oncology trai-nees in Europe.Material and methods: A 22-question online survey based on the one by the American Association of Radiation Oncology Residents (2017) with added queries pertinent to training in Europe was sent to 1450 residents in two iterations. These included site-specific training, volume of experience, barriers to training, institutional support, and preferences for further education. Responses to individual state-ments were given on a 1 to 5 Likert-type scale. The answers were reported by junior (<= 3 years of training) and senior years of training (year of training 4/5/6 and junior staff). Descriptive statistics were used to describe frequencies.Results: Residents from 21 European countries participated, 445 (31%) responded. 205 (47%) were senior residents. 60% residents consider that performing BT independently at the end of residency is very or somewhat important. Confidence in joining a brachytherapy practice at the end of residency was high or somewhat high in 34% of senior residents. They reported as barriers to achieving independence in BT to be lack of appropriate didactic/procedural training from supervisors (47%) and decreased case load (31%). 68% reported their program lacks a formal BT curriculum and standardized training assessment.Conclusions: Residents in Europe, feel independent BT practice is very or somewhat important, but do not feel confident they will achieve this goal. To address this gap, efforts are needed to develop and imple-ment a formal and comprehensive BT curriculum with easy access to trained instructors.(c) 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V. Radiotherapy and Oncology 177 (2022) 172-178

Automated summary

This study investigated the current state of brachytherapy (BT) training among radiation oncology trainees in Europe. The results showed that although the trainees considered independent BT practice to be important, they lacked confidence in achieving this goal. Efforts are needed to develop and implement a formal and comprehensive BT curriculum to address this gap.