S1368
Interdisciplinary - Global health
ESTRO 2026
was pre-tested and made available in English and Spanish. Approximately 1,150 physicians were invited: 1,100 from low- and middle-income countries (881 via email and 200 via WhatsApp in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East) and 50 from the United States and Canada (via personal invitations from authors). Results Across 41 countries, 178 radiotherapy physicians completed the survey, including 118 radiation oncologists, 31 radiation oncology residents, 20 clinical oncologists, and 9 clinical oncology residents. Among attending physicians, 121/138 (88.4%) treat 4 or more disease sites (i.e., as generalists). Most respondents agree (50.5%) or strongly agree (25.3%) that they feel overwhelmed by the amount of radiotherapy knowledge that they are expected to know. To facilitate radiotherapy clinical decision making, the most popularly used resources were specific websites (particularly NCCN guidelines), internet searches, and mobile applications, with the frequency of use shown in Table 1 . Respondents rarely (6.8%), sometimes (38.4%), often (26.6%), usually (22.6%), or consistently (5.6%) have enough time to use these resources during clinic. For 80.3% of respondents, their existing resources do not cover the full range of needs and still have important gaps. To formulate clinical decisions, respondents need to spend extra time outside clinic hours daily (18.6%), 3-4 times/week (33.9%), 1-2 times/week (39.0%), or 1-2 times/month (9.0%). Notable interest exists for better educational resources for a range of radiotherapy skills as shown in Figure 1.
Conclusion Most radiotherapy physicians feel overwhelmed, constrained for time to use resources, and note that resources are not completely useful. Urgent work remains to support high-quality radiotherapy practice globally with more time efficient, easy-to-use, and comprehensive knowledge resources. References 1. Jacob Van Dyk, Ahmed Meghzifene. Radiation Oncology Quality and Safety Considerations in Low Resource Settings: A Medical Physics Perspective. Seminars in Radiation Oncology, Volume 27, Issue 2, 2017, Pages 124-135. 2. Mirestean, C.C.; Iancu, R.I.; Iancu, D.P.T. Education in Radiation Oncology—Current Challenges and Difficulties. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 3772. 3. De Leo, et al. Challenges in the transition to independent radiation oncology practice and targeted interventions for improvement. Tech Innov Patient Support Radiat Oncol. 2022 Sep 29;24:113–117. 4. McLeod et al. Quality indicators for evaluating cancer care in low-income and middle-income country settings. Lancet Oncol 2024; 25: e63–72.
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