International Survey on Frailty Assessment in Patients with Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Frailty negatively affects the outcomes of patients with cancer, and its assessment might vary widely in the real world. The objective of this study was to explore awareness and use of frailty screening tools among the ONCOassist healthcare professionals (HCPs) users. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We sent 2 emails with a cross-sectional 15-item survey in a 3-week interval between April and May 2021. Differences in the awareness and use of tools according to respondents' continents, country income, and job types were investigated. RESULTS: Seven hundred thirty-seven HCPs from 91 countries (81% physicians, 13% nurses, and 5% other HCPs) completed the survey. Three hundred and eighty-five (52%) reported assessing all or the majority of their patients; 518 (70%) at baseline and before starting a new treatment. Three hundred and four (43%) HCPs were aware of performance status (PS) scores only, 309 (42%) age/frailty/comorbidity (AFC) screening, and 102 (14%) chemotoxicity predictive tools. Five hundred and thirty-seven (73%) reported using tools; 423 (57%) just PS, 237 (32%) AFC, and 60 (8%) chemotoxicity ones. Reasons for tools non-use (485 responders) were awareness (70%), time constraints (28%), and uselessness (2%). There were significant differences in awareness and use of screening tools among different continents, country income, job types, and medical specialties (P < .001 for all comparisons). CONCLUSION: Among selected oncology HCPs, there is still a worldwide lack of knowledge and usage of frailty screening tools, which may differ according to their geography, country income, and education. Targeted initiatives to raise awareness and education are needed to implement frailty assessment in managing patients with cancer.

The teaching of occlusion in undergraduate dental schools in the UK and Ireland.

Aim This study investigated and evaluated the teaching of occlusion in undergraduate dental schools in the UK and Ireland, the thorough understanding of which would facilitate young graduates to become competent practitioners.Material and methods A mixed-methods approach was employed, with primary data generated and collected by using a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey which was followed-up by semi-structured interviews. The hard copy questionnaires enquired about: i) whether occlusion was taught; ii) how long was spent by schools teaching occlusion; iii) what teaching resources were employed; iv) tutors' perceptions of how well prepared for general practice new graduates were; and v) how was knowledge/skill assessed. Follow-up interviews were undertaken with volunteering respondents to triangulate responses. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were stored using the Framework Method and analysis using a thematic approach.Results One hundred percent (n = 18) of schools responded to the questionnaire and 66.67% (n = 12) of the schools participated in follow-up interviews. All schools reported that they taught occlusion in their curriculum. Total hours reported teaching occlusion varied from 11 to 310 hours. Twenty-eight percent (n = 5) of respondents reported insufficient time for the teaching of occlusion in the curriculum. There was a marked variation in: i) teaching methods; ii) resources employed; iii) assessment strategies to evaluate competency in occlusion; and iv) how well prepared students were. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data identified several themes: i) variations in teaching pedagogy; ii) use of different resources; iii) variable assessment techniques; iv) evaluation of teaching; and v) barriers to teaching occlusion.Conclusion Recommendations for a coordinated teaching strategy with dedicated oversight to facilitate better student exposure to occlusion and promote student understanding of this topic is suggested.