Poster2 - 03: IMPLEMENTATION OF A GUIDED ONLINE SUPPLEMENTAL CURRICULUM FOR SURGICAL RESIDENTS: A ONE YEAR FOLLOW-UP
Mohammadali E Alishahedani, Suniah S Ayub, MD, MPH, George A Sarosi, MD, Janice A Taylor, MD, MEd; University of Florida

Background: New online tools were integrated into a surgery resident curriculum, based on a needs assessment. Serial emails sent to residents contained links to multimedia posts aligning with This Week in SCORE (TWIS). A follow-up survey assessed use and satisfaction. Goals were to determine material use across resident levels (PGY), whether supplemental material was used to the extent of its request, and whether material use affected in-service exam performance.

Methods: The survey was IRB-approved. A modified Delphi technique was used to design the survey, based on previously-published tools. Participation was voluntary. Interns were not included, being analyzed separately within their specific curriculum. Responses were de-identified. Mann-Whitney and linear regression were performed on the responses (α = 0.05).

Results: The response rate was 43.2% (n=16). 93.4% expressed satisfaction with their study materials. Of the guided links emailed throughout the year corresponding with TWIS, 75% were satisfied with their usefulness, compared to 31.3% satisfied with usefulness of SCORE. There was no statistical relationship between PGY and satisfaction. 37.6% accessed the supplemental material website independently of the emails. Textbooks and Internet were most used (93.8%, each), over review books (87.6%), journals (68.8%), and personal notes (43.8%). No statistically significant relationship existed between PGY and material used. Linear regression of PGY and material type showed decreasing association of textbook use amongst senior residents, but was not statistically significant (p<0.06). High in-service performers did not use any study material more often than low performers. Responses did not allow for reliable statistical analysis of material use and scores.

Conclusions: The new online learning resource applied to the resident TWIS curriculum based on a needs assessment was not used to its anticipated extent.  When utilized, residents found it valuable.  Limited sample size hindered correlation between material use and in-service performance. Discordant use of the new material relative to resident request may be a manifestation of cognitive overload due to overall emails received, amount of available resources, or ability to prioritize use. Investment in a requested material may not yield expected usage, even with regular prompts and ease of access.