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PubMed2006

Saving the clinician-scientist: report of the ANA long range planning committee.

Daunting obstacles to the development of careers in academic medicine represent the most important threat to the future of academic neurology. The Long Range Planning Committee of the American Neurological Association has for the past 2 years considered what practical methods might be undertaken to enhance the attractiveness of careers as neurologist investigators and to ensure that aspiring clinician-scientists are encouraged and retained. The deliberations have resulted in several recommendations. First, a plan has been developed to introduce flexibility during residency training in neurology. This will permit trainees who plan careers in academic medicine to have a substantial exposure to research during residency, shortening the subsequent transition to independent careers. Second, the American Neurological Association will create an annual course in clinical neuroscience research, to be held each summer for academically oriented residents. Improved mentoring and career guidance was identified as a third priority, addressed in part by the development of several new courses for trainees and mentors. Finally, planning is under way for a new postresidency training program in clinical research that will link small and large departments of neurology. Beyond these recommendations, the entire continuum of training for physician-scientists should be reexamined, from the first days of college to the successful launch as independent investigators. The development of additional demonstration projects to improve the quality and reduce the total length of training would be highly desirable.

Education, Medical, Graduate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

As time goes by: reflections on 40 years of academic medicine and biomedical research.

Professor Firkin of the Department of Medicine at Melbourne's Monash University says that, despite considerable advances, many unanswered questions remain in modern medicine. The bright medical minds that may answer these questions are being lost to the cause because of rigid postgraduate training schemes and inadequate remuneration.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2004

A short history of pediatric endocrinology in North America.

Pediatric endocrinology evolved as a subspecialty from the era of biochemical and metabolic clinical investigation led by John Howland, Edwards Park, and James Gamble at Johns Hopkins; Allan Butler at Boston University and Harvard University; Daniel Darrow at Yale University; and Irving McQuarrie at the University of Rochester and the University of Minnesota during the early 20th century. The father of the new subspecialty was Lawson Wilkins, a private pediatric practitioner in Baltimore, Maryland, who was invited by Dr. Edwards Park to establish an endocrine clinic at the Harriet Lane Home at Johns Hopkins in 1935. Dr. Wilkins managed his practice and the clinic until 1946, when, at the age of 52, he accepted a full-time position at the University. Dr. Nathan Talbot was invited to develop a pediatric endocrine clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital by Allan Butler in 1942. These units and their associated subspecialty training programs during the 1950s and 1960s provided the large majority of the second-generation pediatric endocrinologists who went on to establish endocrine subspecialty programs in university medical centers in North America as well as Europe and South America. Diabetes as a clinical pediatric discipline evolved in parallel from the early clinics of Elliott Joslin and Priscilla White in Boston, M.C. Hardin and Robert Jackson at the University of Iowa, George Guest at the University of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and Alex Hartman at the St. Louis Children's Hospital. The Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society was founded in 1971, and the Council on Diabetes and Youth was established within the American Diabetes Association in 1980. Medical and economic factors led to increasing integration of pediatric diabetes and general endocrine care and training, and diabetes care now is a major activity within the subspecialty of pediatric endocrinology. The growth of pediatric endocrinology in North America has paralleled the growth of academic medicine during the past half-century. In 2002, there were 72 training programs in North America: 65 in the United States and seven in Canada. The endocrinology sub-board of the American Board of Pediatrics was established in 1978 to certify training and competence in endocrinology, including diabetes. By 2002, the board had certified 927 pediatric endocrinologists. Pediatric endocrine subspecialists during the past half-century have contributed major advances in our understanding of the ontogeny of endocrine systems and the diagnosis and treatment of fetal-perinatal endocrine disorders; newborn screening for endocrine and metabolic disorders; the physiology and therapies for disorders of sexual differentiation and pubertal maturation; the development of anthropometric standards for childhood growth and development; the characterization and physiology of hormone systems, including receptors and hormone actions; the molecular genetics of a number of congenital endocrine disorders and heritable endocrine diseases; development of pediatric endocrine diagnostics and reference standards; the pathophysiology and management of autoimmune endocrine disease; and development of a growing armamentarium of therapeutic agents for treatment of endocrine and metabolic diseases.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Factors used by physical medicine and rehabilitation residency training directors to select their residents.

A 17-item questionnaire was designed to assess the relative importance of various factors to physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) training directors when ranking PM&R resident applicants during the National Resident Match. The questionnaire was sent to all PM&R residency training directors. The recipients were asked to grade most selection factors based on a numerical scale: 1, unimportant; 2, some importance; 3, important; 4, very important; 5, critical. The specific factors addressed in the questionnaire were: academic criteria, letters of recommendation, individual applicant characteristics and aspects of the interview process. Twelve yes-or-no questions were also designed to determine the weight that residency training directors place on certain academic criteria. A response rate of 88% (66/75) was obtained. The most important academic criteria were grades in a PM&R clerkship in their facility (4.1 +/- 0.8), followed by grades in a PM&R clerkship in another facility (3.6 +/- 0.9). The most important letters of recommendation were from a PM&R faculty member in the respondent's department (4.0 +/- 0.8), followed by the dean's letter (3.7 +/- 1.0) and the PM&R chairman's letter (3.7 +/- 1.0). The three most important applicant characteristics evaluated during the interview were compatibility with the program (4.4 +/- 0.8), the ability to articulate thoughts (4.2 +/- 0.8) and the ability to work with the team (4.2 +/- 0.8). Most program directors used multiple criteria to complete their rank list, but the most important were based upon the interview (4.5 +/- 0.9), letters of recommendation (3.7 +/- 0.9), medical school transcript (3.6 +/- 0.8) and the dean's letter (3.6 +/- 1.1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Clinical Clerkship↗
PubMed2003

A demographic, service, and financial survey of anesthesia training programs in the United States.

UNLABELLED: In February 2000, a demographic, service, and finance survey was sent to the directors of anesthesiology training programs in the United States under the auspices of the Society of Academic Anesthesia Chairs/Association of Academic Program Directors. In August of 2000, 2001, and 2002, shorter follow-up surveys were sent to the same program directors requesting the numbers of vacancies in faculty positions and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) positions. The August 2001 survey also inquired if departments had positive or negative financial margins for the fiscal year ending June 2001. The August 2002 survey included the questions of the 2001 survey and additionally asked if the departments had had an increase or decrease in institutional support and the amount of that current support. The survey results revealed that the average program had 36 anesthetizing locations and 36 faculty. Those faculty spent 69% of their time providing clinical service. Approximately one-half of the departments paid for some of their residents, whereas the other 50% paid for none. Eighty-five percent of the departments employed CRNAs who were funded by the hospital in one third of the departments. In 2000, departments received $34,319/yr in support per faculty full-time equivalent (FTE) from their institutions and had a mean revenue of $407,000/yr/faculty FTE. In 2002, the department's institutional support per FTE increased to $59,680 (a 74% increase since 2000). The departments in academic medical centers paid 20% in overhead expenses, whereas departments in nonacademic medical centers paid 10%. In 2000, 2001, and 2002, the percentage of departments with positive margins was 53%, 53%, and 65%, respectively, whereas the departments with a negative margin decreased from 44% in the year 2000 to 38% in 2001 and 33% in 2002. For the departments with a positive margin, the amount of margin per FTE over this 3-yr period was approximately $50,000, $15,000, and $30,000, respectively. Although the percentage of departments with a negative margin has been decreasing, the negative margin per FTE seems to be increasing from approximately $24,000 to $43,000. The number of departments with open faculty positions has decreased from 91.5% in the year 2000 to 83.5% in 2001 and 78.4% in 2002; in these departments, the number of open faculty positions has also decreased from 3.8 in 2000 to 3.9 in 2001 to 3.4 in 2002. The number of open CRNA positions seems to have been relatively constant with approximately two thirds of the departments requiring an average of approximately four CRNAs each. Overall, academic anesthesiology departments fiscal security seems to have eroded with an increased dependence on institutional support. Departments pay larger overhead rates relative to private practice, and there seems to be a continued, but possibly decreasing, shortage of faculty. IMPLICATIONS: A survey was conducted of anesthesia training program directors that demonstrated that their departments' financial conditions have been eroding over the years 2000 to 2002. During this same period of time, departments were receiving an increase in institutional support from $34,319/full-time equivalent (FTE) faculty in the year 2000 to $59,680/FTE in the year 2002. Although there seems to be an approximate 10% shortage in academic faculty, the number of departments with open positions has progressively decreased from 91% to 73% over the past 3 yr. On average, the financial condition of the training departments has deteriorated over the past 3 yr despite a significant increase in institutional support to enable departments to recruit and retain faculty in an era of an apparent national shortage of anesthesiologists.

Accreditation↗
PubMed2003

Medical student attitudes toward inclusion of a research year within diagnostic radiology residency: a survey of students participating in the 2002 NRMP match. National Resident Matching Program.

UNLABELLED: RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to solicit medical student opinion regarding establishment of a research track within diagnostic radiology residency and to determine the method of implementation most favorable to candidates who self-identified as future researchers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After the deadline for submitting rank lists (February 21, 2002), a questionnaire was mailed to 588 U.S.-resident medical students who applied to the authors' residency in the 2002 match. Returned questionnaires post-marked before match day (March 21, 2002) were included in the analysis. Students were asked to rate their level of interest in different residency curricula; to indicate whether they were most likely to pursue a position in private practice, clinical academics, or research academics; and to indicate their preferred time of choosing a training track, preferred duration of the residency to dedicate to research, and when they most wished to undertake research. RESULTS: A total of 161 students (27.4%) responded. Overall, students preferred institutions with both clinical and research tracks rather than a single track for all residents, to delay their choice of track for as long as possible, and to do research during postgraduate year 4. Students indicated greatest interest in 3-6 months of research. Among those who self-identified as future academic researchers, interest in a research residency track was greater than among those who indicated the greatest interest in private practice positions. CONCLUSION: Many students are interested in performing research during their radiology residency. Interest in a research track is positively correlated with interest in a research academic career and negatively correlated with interest in private practice.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Positive impact of rural academic family practices on rural medical recruitment and retention in South Australia.

Difficulty recruiting and retaining doctors in rural and remote Australia is well recognised. Here, we describe the positive impact on recruitment and retention of general practitioners of a network of university-linked rural family practices in South Australia. Between August 1995 and October 1999, 17 doctors were recruited; eight (47%) were female and six (35%) worked part time. Four doctors left the practices after an average of 20 months service (annual turnover of 6%). Of the two general practice registrars placed in the single accredited practice, one has since joined the practice and the other will do so in 2000. Five doctors are overseas-trained (24%) and four are expected to stay permanently. Rural academic family practices have successfully recruited and retained medical staff in this setting over the past few years. This model of practice may be a useful recruitment and retention strategy for other parts of Australia.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed1996

Postgraduate training for rural family practice. Goals and opportunities.

PROBLEM BEING ADDRESSED: The continuing shortage of rural family physicians in Canada. PURPOSE OF PROGRAM: To further develop training for rural family practice so that adequate numbers of rural family physicians will be appropriately prepared. MAIN COMPONENTS OF PROGRAM: All family medicine residents should have the opportunity to experience the joys and challenges of rural family practice. Rural family medicine training streams provide the best education for family medicine residents who are planning a career in rural family medicine. Integrated training for rural family practice should be high-quality, academically sound, needs-driven, evidence-based, learner-centered, and outcome-measured. This involves comprehensive development of curricula that provide specific skills and appropriate core subjects in rural practice as well as a solid family medicine foundation. contextual and experiential learning in areas similar to or in actual areas where there is a need for rural physicians, and appropriate hospital rotations to learn skills for the hospital role of many rural family doctors, are important components of rural family medicine training. CONCLUSIONS: Postgraduate rural family medicine training programs can be further focused and developed to train more physicians with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for rural practice.

Canada↗
PubMed2001

[Listener education].

Listener education has usually been conducted as primary prevention in occupational medicine. We report on the present state of listener education in which the training focuses on active listening (AL). AL means the way of listening to a person in the person-centered attitude (PCA) that is based on Rogers' three conditions, i.e. empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence. Although the need of this kind of training has been widely described, there is a paucity of academic literature on this subject. This review deals with listener education by dividing it into two types; one is listener education in a narrow sense that consistently depends on the three conditions, and the other is listener education in a broad sense that combines other methods that have different orientations from Rogers' theory. As an example of the former, Ikemi et al. reported the importance of the PCA, and studies conducted by Kubota et al., Mishima et al., and Miyagi dealt with the actual training. As an example of the later, Morisaki and Hamaguchi et al. illustrated their training including other methods such as transactional analysis in their studies. Finally, we point out not only that future research needs to focus on the assessment of listener education, but also that AL needs to be understood from the standpoint of developing workers' competency.

Communication↗
PubMed2006

Status of urologic laparoscopy in 2004: a survey of CUA members.

INTRODUCTION: The optimal method of acquiring laparoscopic skills has not been determined. We sought to examine the current status of urologic laparoscopy and how practicing urologists acquired the skills needed to perform laparoscopic procedures. METHODS: A mail questionnaire regarding laparoscopic practices and training was sent to 480 members of the Canadian Urological Association (CUA) using standard Dillman survey methodology. RESULTS: Three hundred (62.5%) urologists responded to the questionnaire; 56.5% practiced in the community and 41.1% in an academic setting. There were 59.9% who had completed some form of fellowship training. Recent graduates (who finished residency after 1995) were more likely to perform all types of laparoscopic procedures compared to older graduates (65% versus 29.7%, p < 0.001). Advanced procedures were also performed more frequently by recent graduates (52.5% versus 23.4%, p < 0.001). Of those who do not currently perform laparoscopy, 38.2% plan to learn in the future. The most common method of acquiring laparoscopic skills was with animal laboratory experience (39.4%), but only 20.9% relied solely on this method. A trip to a centre of excellence (28.5%) and training from an urologist at the same institution (25.7 %) was also commonly reported as methods of acquiring skills. There were 48.8% who reported beginning laparoscopic procedures without a mentor. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial portion of the Canadian urological community employs laparoscopy, although recent graduates are more likely to do so. Training methods in laparoscopy are variable, but a substantial portion of urologists begin practicing laparoscopic procedures without formal mentoring.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Women physicians in dual-physician relationships compared with those in other dual-career relationships.

This study compared the career and domestic responsibilities of women physicians whose domestic partners were physicians (WP-Ps) with those of women physicians whose domestic partners were not physicians (WP-NPs). In 1988 the authors surveyed 602 women physicians in a large midwestern city regarding their career and domestic roles; 390 were physicians in training (students and residents), and 212 were physicians in practice (academic medicine and private practice). Overall, 382 (63%) responded; of the 382, 247 (65%) had domestic partners; of these 247, 91 (37%) were WP-Ps and 156 (63%) were WP-NPs. The WP-Ps were found to be twice as likely as the WP-NPs to interrupt their careers to accommodate their partners' careers. The WP-Ps also assumed significantly more domestic responsibilities and worked fewer hours practicing medicine than did the WP-NPs. The 163 women physicians in training (44-48%-of the WP-Ps and 119-76%-of the WP-NPs) demonstrated a more egalitarian division of labor overall, with no significant differences between the WP-Ps and the WP-NPs. The authors recommend that longitudinal studies be undertaken to determine whether women physicians in training continue this trend as they enter the practice of medicine.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Acute pain management services have progressed, albeit insufficiently in Canadian academic hospitals.

PURPOSE: Acute pain management services (APMS) evolved in response to the desire for improved management of postoperative pain. The management of postoperative pain received formal support from international organizations over the past decade and by 1993 half of the Canadian university-affiliated teaching hospitals had implemented an APMS. The purpose of this survey was to describe APMSs in Canadian academic institutions, with specific emphasis on postoperative analgesics, new analgesic methods, training and research. METHODS: Between June 2000 and January 2001, 62 Canadian hospitals affiliated with the 16 Canadian university anesthesiology departments were sent a postal questionnaire. RESULTS: Fifty of the 62 respondents returned a completed questionnaire representing a response rate of 81%. Eighty percent of the hospitals surveyed had at least 200 beds, 90% (45) had implemented an APMS. Anesthesiology was primarily responsible in all 45 hospitals with an APMS. The results presented are based on the 45 centres with an APMS. CONCLUSION: Since the early 1990s the percent of Canadian academic hospitals with an APMS has increased from 53% to 92%. These figures are comparable to the United States. Greater collaboration from nursing and pharmacy, mandatory training for medical and nursing students and residents, and a standardized approach to continuous quality improvement remain necessary.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

New aspects on critical care medicine training.

Recently, three fundamental changes have been introduced in medical education, all of particular importance to critical care medicine: (1) clinical teaching and medical practice now emphasize evidence-based medicine, (2) patient safety aspects are increasingly stressed, and (3) use of simulation in medical training is spreading rapidly. In 1999, the disturbingly high frequency of life-threatening or even lethal medical complications was emphasized by the Institute of Medicine in the book To Err Is Human. The Institute of Medicine recommended establishing interdisciplinary team training programs incorporating efficient methods such as simulation. Although simulation has been used by the aviation industry and the military for several decades, only during the past decade has this become a teaching method in medicine. Currently, two full-scale computerized simulators are available: METI, provided by Medical Education Technologies, Sarasota, Florida, and SimMan, manufactured by Laerdal Medical, in Stavanger, Norway. The simulation center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was established in 1994 and has grown quickly to its current large facility, where, in academic year 2003 to 2004, approximately 8000 healthcare professionals were trained on the SimMan. Courses taught include clinical procedures and decision making in perioperative medicine, acute medicine, pharmacology, anesthesiology, airway management, bronchoscopy, pediatric versus adult crisis management, critical events in obstetrics, and crisis team training. Advantages of simulation training over traditional medical education methods include (1) provision of a safe environment for both patient and student during training in risky procedures, (2) unlimited exposure to rare but complicated and important clinical events, (3) the ability to plan and shape training opportunities rather than waiting for a suitable situation to arise clinically, (4) the ability to provide immediate feedback, (5) the opportunity to repeat performance, (6) the opportunity for team training, and (7) lower costs, both direct and indirect. Within the next decade, use of computerized simulators for evidence-based education and training in medicine is expected to develop considerably and spread rapidly into a very important domain of medical schools throughout the entire world.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2003

Contemporary management of superficial bladder cancer in the United States: a pattern of care analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the practice preferences among urologists treating superficial bladder cancer in the United States. METHODS: We surveyed 226 urologists using a specially designed survey instrument. The type of practice, number of urologists in group practice, annual volume of patients with bladder cancer, and those treated with intravesical therapy were assessed. We also obtained information on the American Urological Association section and year of graduation from urology residency training. RESULTS: Of the 226 contacted urologists, 105 (46%) returned a completed survey instrument. Seventeen percent were practicing in academic institutions and 63% were in independent community practice. Forty-five percent had graduated from urology training in or before 1985. Thirty-six percent were in small and 37% were in moderate-size groups. Thirty-five percent were treating a moderate number of patients with bladder cancer, and 44% were treating a large number of patients annually. Thirty-two percent had a moderate number and 40% had a large number of patients receiving intravesical therapy annually. Immunotherapy was preferred in patients at high risk of recurrence. Intravesical chemotherapy was preferred by many for immunotherapy failure. The type of practice and year of graduation were the factors most frequently affecting treatment choice. CONCLUSIONS: Practice preferences for the management of superficial bladder cancer are in general agreement with the American Urological Association Bladder Cancer Guidelines Panel recommendations. However, 81% of surveyed urologists were still reluctant to refer patients with high-grade Ta-T1 disease with failure after intravesical immunotherapy twice for more aggressive therapy such as cystectomy or radiotherapy.

Administration, Intravesical↗
PubMed2003

Challenges of current geriatric education-inspired by the Nordic geriatric professors' meetings.

Geriatric educators are faced with several different challenges. The rapid growth of aged population in the Western world has led to a growing need for health and social services and thus, an increased need for trained professionals in this field. In addition, new learning theories and activating learning methods have achieved wide acceptance in academic medicine. How has geriatric education applied these new learning methods? In this article we review the current status of academic geriatric education in Western countries in these respects. We especially review the literature of how geriatric training has been experimenting with the new learning methods.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Are there enough jobs in cardiothoracic surgery? The thoracic surgery residents association job placement survey for finishing residents.

BACKGROUND: Applications to cardiothoracic surgery training programs have declined. Anecdotal evidence suggests limited job availability for residents completing cardiothoracic training, which may contribute to this decline. This survey sought to document the experience of current, graduating residents. METHODS: In June 2003, the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association surveyed residents completing accredited cardiothoracic training or additional subspecialization, utilizing a web-based survey hosted by CTSNet. Resident participation was voluntary and anonymous. RESULTS: Of the estimated 140 graduates, 89 responded. The majority were male (91.0%, n = 81), married (80.0%, n = 71), and had children (61.0%, n = 54). Average age was 36.2 years old, and mean educational debt was less than 50K dollars. Of the 89 respondents, 77 initially sought jobs and 12 sought additional training. For residents seeking jobs, 19.5% (n = 15) received no offers and 13 of these ultimately pursued additional training. Acquired jobs were in private (53.0%, n = 34) or academic practice (47.0%, n = 30), with 73.4% (n = 47) involving general thoracic surgery. Most would again choose cardiothoracic surgery as a career (75.5%, n = 67), and 62.0% (n = 55) would again submit the same match list. However, 87.0% (n = 77) believed that the number of trainees should be decreased, 81.0% (n = 72) believed that reimbursement for cardiothoracic surgery is inadequate, and 77.5% (n = 69) believed that excessively low reimbursement will result in restricted access or decreased quality for patients. CONCLUSIONS: Most cardiothoracic residents were successful in finding employment after training. A substantial percentage, however, pursued additional training due to lack of job opportunities. Although most finishing residents were satisfied with training and career choice, significant concerns exist regarding job opportunities and compensation. These conditions may lead to difficulty in recruitment to the specialty.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Correcting the bias of clerkship timing on academic performance.

OBJECTIVES: To document the time-of-year bias in National Board of Medical Examiners subject examination (NBME) scores in a third-year pediatrics clerkship and to develop a grading method that neutralizes the bias. DESIGN: Interventional modeling of final grades. SETTING: University-based medical school. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: During each of the past 3 academic years, we conducted six 2-month pediatric clerkships for third-year students. To counter the time-of-year bias, NBME scores, clinical evaluations, and departmental examination scores for the current rotation were pooled with those from the rotations from the same time of year during the previous 2 years. Final grades for the current rotation were determined by cutoff points derived from that entire 3-year pool. We analyzed this approach by testing the time-of-year effects on NBME scores, clinical evaluations, and final grades while maintaining step 1 of the US Medical Licensing Examination as a preclinical baseline control. RESULTS: The scores for step 1 of the US Medical Licensing Examination did not differ significantly by time of year. Clinical evaluations and NBME scores showed significant upward trends as the academic year progressed. By contrast, according to design, final grades showed no significant time-of-year trend. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support previous reports of significant improvements in NBME scores across the academic year. Our method of computing final grades corrects for this time-of-year bias by judging students only in relation to those who took the rotation at the same time of year. It is our belief that the prevalence and significance of the time-of-year trend warrants such an adjustment in grading to help minimize the academic disadvantage faced by students early in their clinical training.

Bias↗
PubMed2006

Failure of a Web-based educational tool to improve residents' scores on the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination.

HYPOTHESIS: Usage of a Web-based educational tool will improve residents' scores on the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE). DESIGN: Before and after trial. SETTING: Academic surgical residency in a tertiary care university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) and PGY2 residents. INTERVENTION: All PGY1 and PGY2 residents were given unlimited access to a Web-based educational tool aimed at early-level residents in surgery. The educational tool covers the basic science of surgery and basic concepts of clinical surgery and uses a variety of educational techniques (readings, problem-based learning, case-based learning, and practice tests). Although residents were encouraged to complete the learning package, they were not required to do so. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The ABSITE scores and changes in ABSITE scores were compared with the amount of time residents spent using the program and the number of tutorials completed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in ABSITE scores before or after the use of the Web-based educational tool. There was no significant relationship between use of the tool (either in total time or total tutorials) and ABSITE score. For PGY2 residents, there was a negative relationship between total time spent on the program and ABSITE score (linear regression analysis best-fit slope, -0.20 +/- 0.1; r2 = 0.33) and total tutorials completed and ABSITE score (linear regression analysis best-fit slope, -0.34 +/- 0.22; r2 = 0.25). CONCLUSION: There was no demonstrable beneficial effect of a Web-based educational tool on cognitive knowledge of residents as measured by ABSITE scores.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗