S559

Proceedings of the 49th Annual ASTRO Meeting

Author Disclosure: D.C. Khan, None; D. Huang, None; R. Kwon, None; O. Streeter, None; M.L. Steinberg, None.

2639 Evaluation of a Web-Based Electronic Portfolio as a Learning and Assessment Tool in a Radiation

Oncology Residency Program

H. Patone, A. Hacking, G. Shenouda

McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, PQ, Canada

Purpose/Objective(s): Most medical and surgical residency programs are spread across multiple hospitals and locations. To ef-fectively monitor resident workloads and performance requires creating a forum for centralized communication, data collection andanalysis, such as an electronic portfolio. We have adapted a web-based electronic portfolio system (www.thinresidency.com) foruse in our radiation oncology residency program at McGill University. We conducted a survey of the residents to evaluate the use-fulness of this website with regards to several parameters.

Materials/Methods: The website at www.thinresidency.com was accessed by twelve radiation oncology residents at McGill Uni-versity over a six month period. Individual residents enter information on each new patient they consult on, create a plan for, per-form a procedure on, or discuss in a tumour board setting. Information recorded includes date, disease site, treatment intent,treatment technique, procedure type, supervising physician, and hospital site. No patient names or personal data are stored onthe centralized web server. The ability to enter, edit, or delete any case information is possible from any computer with accessto the internet, a web browser, and an account and password for the system. The program director and resident are then able toreview, via a graphical interface, all cases, plans, and procedures that have been performed, comparing their individual performanceto the average of all residents at the same level. We asked participating residents to complete a questionnaire evaluating the websiteon its ease-of use, accessibility, security, confidentiality, and usefulness for self-assessment and evaluation. We used a scale of oneto five for the questionnaire, with five meaning a strongly positive assessment, and one meaning a strongly negative assessment.

Results: All 12 questionnaires sent out were completed for a 100% response rate. Ease-of-use in entering case information receiveda mean rating of 3.7 (SD 0.9). Accessibility from work and home were rated at 4.2 (SD 0.7) and 4.4 (SD 0.5) respectively. Thesecurity and confidentiality of the system were rated at 3.8 (SD 0.9). Use of the website as an aid in planning future rotationswas rated at 3.7 (SD 0.6) or as an aid in comparison to other residents at 3.5 (SD 0.9). Finally, an evaluation of the overall expe-rience of using the site was rated at 3.6 (SD 0.8). Given the strong positive feedback from the residents, there appears to be genuineinterest in the continued use of the website.

Conclusions: Overall, this electronic portfolio system was rated quite highly by the participating residents. It is still early howeverand not enough data has been collected to take full advantage of this prospective database of case logs. In the future, as more data iscollected, this website should allow for a secure and rapid assessment of a resident’s progress, showing any deficient or proficientareas, allowing both the resident themselves and/or the program director to effect change and monitor the outcome quickly andefficiently. Perhaps with further development, residents could even compare their progress to that of residents from other institu-tions.

Author Disclosure: H. Patone, None; A. Hacking, Owner of www.thinresidency.com, E. Ownership Interest; G. Shenouda, None.

2640 Using TelesynergyA� to Improve Access to Clinical Trials at an Underserved Community Based Hospital

D. Huang1, D. Khan1, O. E. Streeter2, K. Wong1, K. Chang2, K. Andre1, M. L. Steinberg1

1Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center, Inglewood, CA, 2University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Purpose/Objective(s): Significant disparities in cancer detection, treatment, outcomes and participation in clinical trials are welldocumented and exist within racial/ethnic minorities and low income patients. In 2003, Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Cen-ter (CFRMC) received a grant from the National Cancer Institute to evaluate and overcome cancer disparities. To facilitate thedevelopment of this program, a TelesynergyA� integrative media telemedicine system was established to link our facility toa NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as other cancer centers around the country.

Materials/Methods: A TelesynergyA� system was installed at our community hospital campus, Centinela Freeman RegionalMedical Center (CFRMC), our mentor institution at the University of Southern California/Norris Cancer Center (USC/Norris);and at various other cancer centers around the country. The system consists of a video conference system, multiple video monitors,a high resolution grayscale view box, a microscope with video camera, a document camera capable of viewing sheet film and otherprinted documents, a patient exam camera, a VCR/DVD burner, and a high resolution film scanner. The system is used for weeklyadministrative meetings between us and our mentor institution, joint tumor boards between the hospitals, educational lectures