Oncology Showdown Activity Tackles Proficiency in Treatment of Advanced Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
An educational live and enduring activity provided by i3 Health has demonstrated significant learning outcomes for treatment of patients with advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The live activity, which was presented virtually at the 4th Annual GLAONS Oncology Care Summit, used a competitive, team-based "game show" format to explore the latest strategies and expert perspectives in treatment of patients with advanced NHL, including subtypes of follicular lymphoma (FL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). For learners who were unable to participate in the live activity, an online enduring activity was made available at i3Health.com.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma accounts for 4% of all cancers in the United States and is the seventh most common cancer in men and the sixth most common in women. Lymphatic tissue can be found in almost every part of the body, which means that NHL can start in most parts of the body and spread to other organs. It is estimated that 80,470 people in the United States will be diagnosed with NHL this year, with 20,250 of these diagnoses being fatal. Research indicates a burden in treatment of NHL, which may be due to the lack of multidisciplinary action to sustain an understanding of emerging data and consensus recommendations that can rationally inform clinical decision making.
To address these knowledge gaps regarding treatment of NHL, i3 Health provided a nursing continuing professional development (NCPD)–approved activity, Oncology Nursing Showdown: Advanced Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Edition. The activity was led by Amy Goodrich, RN, MSN, CRNP-AC, Nurse Practitioner in the Hematologic Malignancies Program and Research Nursing Manager at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, with support by Verastem.
A total of 731 learners participated in the activity, with 713 completing the activity for credit. The live activity, presented on September 12, 2020, had 627 learners and completions, and the online enduring activity, available October 12, 2020, to October 11, 2021, had 104 learners and 86 completions. Most learners were registered nurses (86.5%) and nurse practitioners (8.5%), followed by physicians (0.5%) and participants who chose "other" as their profession (4.5%). Attendees had been in practice for an average of 18.9 years and saw an average of 6 patients with NHL per month.
The baseline data collected demonstrated a significant shortcoming of knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with NHL, including competence in selecting first-, second-, and third-line NHL treatment and competence regarding adverse event monitoring and management for patients being treated for NHL. For the live activity, a matched pretest/posttest was not administered, but learning gains were demonstrated regarding the efficacy chlorambucil/rituximab as first-line treatment for FL, the efficacy of bendamustine/rituximab as second-line treatment for FL, the need for glucose monitoring for a patient receiving copanlisib, the need for tumor lysis syndrome prophylaxis for a patient receiving venetoclax, and the efficacy of ibrutinib as first-line treatment for SLL.
For the enduring activity, each learner was given a pretest prior to the beginning of the activity, followed by a posttest, which consisted of the same questions, upon its conclusion. Pretest scores revealed that 15% of learners were successful in identifying the correct first-line treatment option for a patient with FL; 66% were successful in identifying the correct second-line treatment for a patient with high-risk refractory FL; 29% were correct when identifying copanlisib as the PI3 kinase inhibitor that requires glucose monitoring; 45% correctly identified tumor lysis syndrome as the adverse event to be given prophylaxis with venetoclax; and 49% of participants successfully identified the correct first-line treatment for a patient with SLL.
Significant learning was revealed by the posttest scores, including a 66% increase in knowledge regarding chlorambucil/rituximab as an effective first-line treatment for FL, a 28% increase in knowledge regarding bendamustine/rituximab as an appropriate third-line treatment for FL, a 69% increase in knowledge regarding glucose monitoring for treatment with a Pl3 kinase inhibitor, a 55% increase in knowledge of tumor lysis syndrome as an adverse event requiring prophylaxis, and a 48% increase in knowledge regarding the successful identification of ibrutinib as an effective first-line treatment for a patient with SLL.
Upon completion of the activity, 86% of participants felt more confident in treating their patients with NHL, and 87% also reported that they felt that the presented material would be used to improve the outcomes of their patients.
The results revealed by the posttest data confirm the effectiveness of the provided educational content and show the significant increase in learners' knowledge and competence regarding strategies for the treatment of NHL. i3 Health has determined that the multidisciplinary team may benefit from CME/NCPD activities that provide NHL education on novel therapeutic agents, treatment selection, and adverse event management.
References
i3 Health (2021). Oncology Nursing Showdown: Advanced Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Edition: activity outcomes summary report. Data on file.
