An internet-based literature retrieval training program for Oncology residents: content, approach and future perspectives

Introduction - Searching the literature has a direct beneficial influence on patient care. Since most of its health professionals do not have the required skills to perform completely fruitful searches, the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCa) has developed an internet-based literature retrieval program for residents in the oncology field. Material and Methods - A total of 177 residents and post-graduate students were contacted by e-mail. Pre (PREPA) and post-program assessments (POSTPA) were obtained from the candidates. Course content consisted of a ninety minutes Theoretical Session (TS) followed by a two hours Practical Session (PS). & gt;From a problem-oriented approach, concepts like MEDLINE coverage, PubMed resources, Boolean logic, search strategies and web sources for full-text articles were presented along seven online exercises:  Locating a specific publication, answering a complex clinical question, quickly finding information about a general subject, searching by major MeSH topic, finding publications by a particular author, language and publication type and finally locating the full-text document. Results - Thirteen candidates volunteered to the TS and answered the PREPA, while only five attended the PS. From PREPA data, 100% know CAPES Portal, 92% own computers connected to the Internet and have previous experience with search engines, while 69% have already performed a PubMed search. According to the candidates that answered the POSTPA (n=5), this program contributed with new and relevant issues, being reported by four candidates as absolutely important and suggested as obligatory. Discussion – The PREPA may suggest that progr am’s content matched main candidates needs, e.g., concepts and strategies for MEDLINE/PubMed search, being also useful to somehow represent Inca’s profile. Results driven from the POSTPA may suggest aspects to be improved, related to both concepts and methods that were taught. Final Comments - Although very well accepted by the candidates, further evaluation is needed in order to incorporate this activity into residence curricula. With a better-defined and finished product in hand, we would hope that similar programs could be implemented in other institutions.