Web-based education in systems-based practice: a randomized trial.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
All accredited US residency programs are expected to offer curricula and evaluate their residents in 6 general competencies. Medical schools are now adopting similar competency frameworks. We investigated whether a Web-based program could effectively teach and assess elements of systems-based practice.

METHODS:
We enrolled 276 medical students and 417 residents in the fields of surgery, medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, and emergency medicine in a 9-week randomized, controlled, crossover educational trial. Participants were asked to sequentially complete validated Web-based modules on patient safety and the US health care system. The primary outcome measure was performance on a 26-item validated online test administered before, between, and after the participants completed the modules.

RESULTS:
Six hundred forty (92.4%) of the 693 enrollees participated in the study; 512 (80.0%) of the participants completed all 3 tests. Participants' test scores improved significantly after completion of the first module (P<.001). Overall learning from the 9-week Web-based program, as measured by the increase in scores (posttest scores minus pretest scores), was 16 percentage points (95% confidence interval, 14-17 percentage points; P<.001) in public safety topics and 22 percentage points (95% confidence interval, 20-23 percentage points; P<.001) in US health care system topics.

CONCLUSION:
A Web-based educational program on systems-based practice competencies generated significant and durable learning across a broad range of medical students and residents.

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Author information

Author/s: Kerfoot, B Price (BP); Conlin, Paul R (PR); Travison, Thomas (T); McMahon, Graham T (GT);

Affiliation: Urology Section, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School, and Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension Division, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass 02130, USA. price.kerfoot(-atsign-)gmail.com

Grants: K24 DK63214 (Agency:NIDDK NIH HHS) ; R01 HL77234 (Agency:NHLBI NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Archives of internal medicine (Arch Intern Med), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Feb; vol 167 (issue 4) : pp 361-6

Dates: Created 2007/02/27; Completed 2007/03/29; Revised 2007/12/03;

PMID: 17325297, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Cross-Over Studies
Education, Medical, Undergraduate - methods
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Internet
Internship and Residency - methods
Learning

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