ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma is the second most prevalent hematological malignancy worldwide and the most common hematologic malignancy affecting the African American population. Multiple factors contribute to these marked disparities in the African American population, including lack of awareness in primary care providers. Identifying myeloma in primary care remains challenging, increasing delay in diagnosis for many patients.OBJECTIVE: The objective of this scholarly project was to evaluate change in knowledge and self-efficacy following the delivery of an educational intervention to primary care providers.METHODS: The project design was a single group education session with a pre- and post-test. A survey was administered to primary care providers before and after an educational intervention delivered in a single 1-hour face-to-face session. Content taught to providers included definition, incidence, prevalence, risk factors, diagnostic criteria, specific tests performed, and referral information of multiple myeloma. The intervention was followed by a chart audit of patients who presented to primary care clinics with myeloma symptoms. RESULTS: After the intervention, primary care providers demonstrated increased knowledge and improved self-efficacy. The difference in knowledge between the pre-test and post-test was statistically significant (p<0.000). Knowledge scores increased 20 points on average. P-score was 0.008, highlighting a clinically significant finding. Self-efficacy regarding identification and interventions related to suspecting and/or diagnosing multiple myeloma improved, with all 5 items showing statistically significant improvement.CONCLUSION: Following the educational intervention, the primary care providers experienced an improvement in knowledge and self-efficacy. Educational interventions are recommended to improve knowledge and self-efficacy in identifying multiple myeloma in the primary care setting. Due to limited research on this topic, may help improve outcomes for this patient population.
