J Educ Eval Health Prof.  2017;14:29. 10.3352/jeehp.2017.14.29.

Efficacy of an asynchronous electronic curriculum in emergency medicine education in the United States

• Wray A
• Bennett K
• Boysen-Osborn M
• Wiechmann
• Toohey S

• KMID: 2406692
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2017.14.29

Abstract

PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to measure the effect of an iPad-based asynchronous curriculum on emergency medicine resident performance on the in-training exam (ITE). We hypothesized that the implementation of an asynchronous curriculum (replacing 1 hour of weekly didactic time) would result in non-inferior ITE scores compared to the historical scores of residents who had participated in the traditional 5-hour weekly didactic curriculum.
METHODS
The study was a retrospective, non-inferiority study. conducted at the University of California, Irvine Emergency Medicine Residency Program. We compared ITE scores from 2012 and 2013, when there were 5 weekly hours of didactic content, with scores from 2014 and 2015, when 1 hour of conference was replaced with asynchro-nous content. Examination results were compared using a non-inferiority data analysis with a 10% margin of difference.
RESULTS
Using a non-inferiority test with a 95% confidence interval, there was no difference between the 2 groups (before and after implementation of asynchronous learning), as the confidence interval for the change of the ITE was −3.5 to 2.3 points, whereas the 10% non-inferiority margin was 7.8 points.
CONCLUSION
Replacing 1 hour of didactic conference with asynchronous learning showed no negative impact on resident ITE scores.

Keyword

Curriculum; Emergency medicine; Graduate medical education; Retrospective studies; United States

MeSH Terms

California
Curriculum*
Education*
Education, Medical, Graduate
Emergencies*
Emergency Medicine*
Internship and Residency
Learning
Retrospective Studies
Statistics as Topic
United States*

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Individualized interactive instruction, as defined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. From Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Frequently asked questions: emergency medicine [Internet]. Chicago (IL): Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; 2017 [cited 2017 Oct 23]. Available from: https://www.acgme.org/Portals/0/PDFs/FAQ/110_emergency_medicine_ FAQs_2017-07-01.pdf [8].

Reference

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