Table 1.
Domains and their core content of the defined competencies
| Human basic factors |
| Prioritization of optimal patient care and team needs over personal need |
| Recognition of own limitations and seeking help from other team members |
| Adequate, appropriate, clear and concise communication even in emotionally challenging situations including delivering bad news appropriately |
| Advising patients and their relatives on neuro-oncological diseases |
| Work and cooperate constructively in a (multi-professional) team |
| Neuropathology, -anatomy, -physiology |
| Knowledge of the neuropathology of brain tumours and their classification |
| Expertise of the topographical and functional neuroanatomy, in particular the cortical and subcortical localization of neurofunctions |
| Knowledge of the neurophysiology of functional neuronal systems (e.g. language function) |
| Expertise on the arterial and venous anatomy of the central nervous system |
| Diagnostics |
| Detection and management of neuro-oncological emergencies |
| Prioritization of urgent neuro-oncological/medical issues |
| Able to perform a systematic neurological examination and consequently assign deficits to lesions and neuroanatomical and -physiological concepts appropriately |
| Initiation and assessment of diagnostic and radiologic procedures and knowledge of their possibilities, limitations and risks |
| Independent indication and execution of invasive diagnostic procedures (lumbar punctures, biopsies) |
| Surgical treatment |
| Indication of different operative therapies and methods |
| Selection and planning a suitable surgical procedure |
| Respect of and adherence to established procedures and local safety protocols |
| Safe and skilled application of different surgical techniques in neuro-oncology with a timely performance (e.g. approaches, microsurgical techniques, neuro-navigation) |
| Application of surgical techniques for intraoperative assessment of the degree of surgical resection (e.g. fluorescence, iMRT, ultrasound) and techniques for intraoperative localisation of neuronal function (intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring, awake surgery) |
| Mastering, properly discussing, and reporting complications |
| Non-surgical treatment |
| Monitoring, time-sensitive interventions and management in critically ill patients |
| Competency in postoperative/intensive care of neuro-oncologic patients |
| Indications and contraindications of standard neuro-oncological adjuvant therapies |
| Detailed knowledge about/indication of adjuvant oncological therapies |
| Indications/advice on basic features of other, alternative non-operative therapy procedures |
| Knowledge about basic features of radiation oncology including knowledge about/skills in stereotactic radiosurgery, proton therapy, intraoperative radiation therapy |
| Initiation and basic knowledge on psycho-oncological therapy including screening methods |
| Timely initiation of palliative care (e.g. early integration) and basic knowledge about standard concepts in palliative care |
| Other competencies |
| Detailed knowledge of common guidelines, recommendations and relevant literature |
| Usage of scientific and other evidence-based resources |
| Appreciating the importance of both basic and clinical research; assess, apply and translate new knowledge and practices |
| Knowledge, respect of and adherence to established ethical standards and laws |
| Basic competence in both basic and clinical research applied to neuro-oncology |
The table gives an overview of the domains and their core content of the defined competencies. A complete list of the defined competencies is provided in the supplement