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Research Article
Muhammad Aemaz Rehman
King Edward Medical University
Corresponding Author
License:
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Background: The lack of oncologists is a growing global concern. In Pakistan the scarcity of oncologists compared to the growing cancer burden is alarming, with approximately only 125 trained oncologists available for a population above 201 million. Furthermore, oncology is a lower ranked professional field of choice among Pakistani medical students. This study aims to determine the opinions of young doctors regarding oncology and the factors affecting their preferences in order to devise strategies to attract more doctors into the field.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using non-probability sampling technique was conducted across various public and private sectors hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan, from March to November 2019. 300 doctors were interviewed via a close-ended, pre-validated questionnaire, which included demographic details as well as assessment of perception regarding oncology on the basis of workplace environment, financial and emotional aspects, nature of work and scope of field. Data was analyzed by SPSS 23 with quantitative variables presented as mean ± S.D, and qualitative variables presented as frequency and percentages. The influence of perceptions on ‘Oncology as a Career Choice’ was determined by binary logistic regression analysis.
Results: Out of 300, a huge majority of 72.7% chose not to prefer oncology as a career if given a chance to decide. The positive perceptions about oncology in descending order were: progressive field (85.3%), gender-neutral specialty (77%), stable working hours (61%), financially healthy specialty (47.7%) and work-family balance (46.7%). Among the top negative perceptions were: lack of oncologic facilities in Pakistani hospitals (70%), radiation exposure (66%), need for private practice (60.7%), poor patient prognosis (56.7%), high patient load (55.7%) and depression (54.3%). The most influential factors in favor of/against the choice were late presentation of patients leading to poor prognosis, cancer survivor/ death in the family, already having an oncologist in the family, type of medical school attended, stage of medical career and future plan to settle abroad.
Conclusion: Alignment of the environment in oncology with the preferences of young doctors and addressing their concerns are key to attracting doctors to this field. This can minimize the doctor-population discrepancy in this field in our country.
Keywords
Cancer Care Facilities, Career Choice, Medical Oncology, Pakistan, Physicians.
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This preprint is under consideration at BMC Medical Education. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research Article
Muhammad Aemaz Rehman
King Edward Medical University
Corresponding Author
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 28 Dec, 2020
No community comments so far
Reviews received
Received 18 Jan, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 09 Jan, 2021
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 26 Dec, 2020
Editor assigned
On 22 Dec, 2020
Editor invited
On 22 Dec, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 22 Dec, 2020
First submitted
On 06 Dec, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background: The lack of oncologists is a growing global concern. In Pakistan the scarcity of oncologists compared to the growing cancer burden is alarming, with approximately only 125 trained oncologists available for a population above 201 million. Furthermore, oncology is a lower ranked professional field of choice among Pakistani medical students. This study aims to determine the opinions of young doctors regarding oncology and the factors affecting their preferences in order to devise strategies to attract more doctors into the field.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using non-probability sampling technique was conducted across various public and private sectors hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan, from March to November 2019. 300 doctors were interviewed via a close-ended, pre-validated questionnaire, which included demographic details as well as assessment of perception regarding oncology on the basis of workplace environment, financial and emotional aspects, nature of work and scope of field. Data was analyzed by SPSS 23 with quantitative variables presented as mean ± S.D, and qualitative variables presented as frequency and percentages. The influence of perceptions on ‘Oncology as a Career Choice’ was determined by binary logistic regression analysis.
Results: Out of 300, a huge majority of 72.7% chose not to prefer oncology as a career if given a chance to decide. The positive perceptions about oncology in descending order were: progressive field (85.3%), gender-neutral specialty (77%), stable working hours (61%), financially healthy specialty (47.7%) and work-family balance (46.7%). Among the top negative perceptions were: lack of oncologic facilities in Pakistani hospitals (70%), radiation exposure (66%), need for private practice (60.7%), poor patient prognosis (56.7%), high patient load (55.7%) and depression (54.3%). The most influential factors in favor of/against the choice were late presentation of patients leading to poor prognosis, cancer survivor/ death in the family, already having an oncologist in the family, type of medical school attended, stage of medical career and future plan to settle abroad.
Conclusion: Alignment of the environment in oncology with the preferences of young doctors and addressing their concerns are key to attracting doctors to this field. This can minimize the doctor-population discrepancy in this field in our country.
Figure 1
Figure 2
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