Preface: In medicine, it’s a tough job to bring your best practice to each and every patient, so we asked Maria Thereza from Radioteraquiz how active, gamified learning can help radiotherapy professionals keep up to date and sharp on their skills. We learned that the app puts recent, evidence-based information on radiotherapy medicine into the palm of your hand, and that Maria Thereza will also expand to other fields this year! This interview is a part of our ongoing series talking to companies who are building innovative support for scientists.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what led to creating Radioteraquiz?
I am a medical doctor and did my residency in Radiation Oncology, but I can say that I have been passionate about education since I was a child… I always said I would be a teacher and love to teach. During my studies for the specialist certification exam, I realized how useful it would be to have resources to help with my studies. After passing the exam, I dedicated myself to studying in depth the most effective study methodologies. It took months of planning until I developed the idea of Radioteraquiz: a platform in the palm of your hands, with an active and gamified method, with evidence-based commented questions.
What has the response been like from radiotherapy professionals who study using the gamified app?
We have had excellent feedback since the launch of the application. In the first few months, we had high user engagement, with an average of 4 hours per day of activity on the app. Several doctors have contacted us to talk about how useful it was for their specialist certification exam studies and how it helped a lot in learning radiation oncology during their residency.
Does the study information help radiotherapy professionals learn about new research or protocols in the field as it develops?
Definitely! All the questions in the app are commented on with information based on the best available evidence, always citing the reference. In addition, we will soon have an area within the app where we will highlight new publications and studies, always aiming for continuous medical education.
Is there content for all types of professionals—from radiotherapy technicians to specialized physicians?
The application has questions for doctors and medical physicists within Radiation Oncology. Other professionals in the field, such as radiation therapists and dosimetrists, have given us positive feedback on the content of Radiobiology, Medical Physics, and CNEN. So I can say that we have a range of various professionals in the field.
Are you planning to bring personalized study to other medical specialties?
Definitely! The Oncoteraquiz will be launched in April 2023, and the Reumatoteraquiz is scheduled to be launched in the second half of 2023.
Does Radioteraquiz have any content that can help people study for clinical trials or research activities?
That’s a great idea! Although we don’t have any content on research and clinical studies yet, it would definitely be an interesting project to be executed within our video and course area.
What is your vision for the future of Radioteraquiz?
That’s a great future vision for the app: through education, we can impact as many professionals as possible, and consequently, patients, with the best medical practices.
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank Maria Thereza for sharing her insight!
