(0653) Head and Neck Cancer Education for Rural Primary Care Providers: A Pilot Continuing Education Series

Introduction: Primary care providers (PCPs) often do not feel prepared to evaluate patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) and may lack knowledge about HNC screening and diagnostic steps.

Methods: We designed a HNC continuing education (CE) series for rural PCPs. The three sessions covered fundamentals of oropharyngeal, thyroid, oral cavity, and laryngeal cancers, including prevention, screening, diagnostic evaluation, and indications for referral. Surveys focusing on knowledge, attitude, and behavior were administered after each session.

Results: Participants included physicians, advanced practice providers, and nurses. Across the sessions, there were 96 registrations, 32 attendances, 16 completed surveys, and 10 intra-session question respondents. All providers (n = 16) reported that at least 25% of the content was new information, with 44% (n = 7) reporting 75 to 100% was new. All participants reported they learned something they could use to improve patient care.

Conclusions: While there were challenges with turnout and participation, this novel HNC CE series for PCPs indicates need for further PCP HNC education.