) The primary objective of this three year project is to improve the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) Medical Oncology fellows towards the supportive care needs of cancer patients and families. Fellow training will be accomplished through a series of didactic lectures given throughout the year and a one month rotation within the newly formed FCCC Supportive Oncology Program (SOP). Established to optimize the interplay of existing FCCC consultative services which help cancer patients and their families better cope with their cancer and its therapy, the SOP encompasses the Palliative Care Service, Pain Management Center, Nutrition Support Service, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Medical Ethics Committee, and Consultation Psychiatry. During their month SOP rotation, fellows will participate in the inpatient, outpatient, and home care activities of these programs and will receive one-on-one didactic sessions from interdisciplinary team members to compliment lectures given throughout the year. Fellows will also participate in a monthly SOP Case Conference and will review and discuss recommended readings from their SOP Resource Notebook. This broad exposure to SOP programs has been designed to facilitate the fellows' appreciation of the palliative care needs of their terminally ill patients in a way that will not only enhance their ability to collaborate with the hospice team but also to participate in the appropriate supportive care of all of their cancer patients, regardless of prognosis. The impact of this educational project will be evaluated using knowledge and attitude surveys, fellow interviews, a course content exam, and standard course evaluation forms. The secondary objective of this application is to create a model for the integration of supportive care into comprehensive cancer care. Once established, the SOP training program will be offered as an elective to senior medical oncology fellows, surgical oncology fellows, radiation oncology residents, internal medicine residents, and senior medical students. Fellows will be encouraged to spend more than one month within the SOP and stimulated to consider supportive care questions as the focus of the Clinical Research Track component of their fellowship training program. A Supportive Oncology Physician Knowledge and Attitude Assessment Tool will be developed and piloted in years two and three. The establishment of Supportive Oncology as a full academic component of comprehensive cancer care should help it gain the priority and sanction that it requires to make a lasting improvement on the quality of care and the quality of life of all cancer patients and their families.
