Rationale and Objectives
The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the impact of a tablet-based curriculum on the radiology resident educational experience.
Materials and Methods
A comprehensive tablet-based curriculum was developed by creating subspecialty modules with appropriate content level for each required rotation at our diagnostic radiology residency program. Daily assignments included key learning points, readings, and reference presentation slides, covering all objectives published by the ABR Core Exam Study Guide. Residents were provided with iPad devices preconfigured with the curriculum and online access to most major radiology textbooks available in our institutional digital library. Assessment surveys were administered at baseline and 12 months following curriculum implementation.
Results
Twenty-two residents completed both surveys. In comparing the pre versus postsurvey results, 32% versus 73% residents agreed or strongly agreed that study resources were well-organized, 41% versus 91% agreed or strongly agreed that study resources were easily accessible, 27% versus 77% agreed or strongly agreed that the modules encouraged active learning, 18% versus 82% agreed or strongly agreed that resources motivate them to study daily, 36% versus 82% agreed or strongly agreed that the resources adequately prepared the resident for the radiology board exam, and 36% versus 82% agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the resources provided by the residency program ( p < 0.05).
Conclusion
Our study demonstrated the positive impact of implementing a complete tablet-based curriculum on radiology resident motivation, satisfaction, and engagement. Use of mobile tablet devices has the potential to dramatically transform content delivery in residency education.
Introduction
While the universal purpose of a residency program is to provide an education in a medical subspecialty, the learning experience is varied and self-motivated and frequently follows general objectives without a specific curriculum. Consequently, residents often find themselves puzzled regarding how to study most efficiently and effectively. Without much experience in the field, it is difficult, particularly for junior residents, to identify the best resources for different topics and discern which information is appropriate for their current educational level. Given that radiology is largely an image-based field, tablet use has an interesting potential for resident education and for addressing these learning impediments.
A previous study found that 79% of healthcare professionals use iPads for work purposes ( ). A second recent study encouraged radiology programs to utilize and provide tablet devices to residents given that 81% of respondents believed that they would spend more time learning radiology if given a tablet device ( ). Sharpe et al also demonstrated that digital books have become the number one education resource used at work, suggesting its role as a desired study resource ( ). Additional studies have assessed the general usage of tablets in radiology residency, but none to date have examined the development and implementation of a comprehensive tablet-based curriculum made specifically for radiology residents ( ).
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Materials and Methods
Study Design and Population
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Table 1
Twelve-Question Survey Used to Evaluate the Resident Educational Experience Pre and Post Implementation of the iBooks Curriculum
Tablet-based Curriculum Survey ?> 1) On average, approximately how many hours per day do you spend studying radiology-related materials outside of work? < 15 minutes 15–30 minutes 30 minutes–1 hour 1 –2 hours >2 hours ?> 2) Approximately, how much of your time is spent studying radiology outside of work is ON A TABLET DEVICE? 0–25% 25–50% 50–75% 75–100% ?> 3) On average, approximately how many hours per day do you spend studying radiology-related materials while at work, not including daily conference? <15 minutes 15–30 minutes 30 minutes–1 hour 1–2 hours >2 hours ?> 4) Approximately, how much of your time spent studying radiology AT WORK, not including daily conference, is ON A TABLET DEVICE? 0–25% 25–50% 50–75% 75–100% ?> 5) My current study resources are well organized Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree ?> 6) My current study resources are easily accessible Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree ?> 7) My current study resources encourage active learning Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree ?> 8) My current study resources motivate me to study radiology on a daily basis Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree ?> 9) I feel that my current study resources will adequately prepare me for the radiology board exam Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree10) Overall, I am currently satisfied with the study resources provided by my residency program Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree11) How often do you use a tablet device to assist with learning during daily lecture? 0–25% 25–50% 50–75% 75–100%12) I feel that using a tablet device during daily lecture improves learning Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
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Tablet-based Curriculum Implementation
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Statistical Analysis
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Results
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Table 2
Comparison of Resident Responses Pre and Post Implementation of the iBooks Curriculum. The values in bold are statistically significant (i.e., the p-values are less than 0.05 for those values)
Question Presurvey Postsurvey_p_ values ?> (1) Spent more than 1 hour studying outside of work 41% 68%p > 0.05 ?> (2) Spent at least 25% of time studying on a tablet outside of work 45% 68%p > 0.05 ?> (3) Spent at least 30 minutes studying at work 59% 68%p > 0.05 ?> (4) Spent at least 25% of time studying on a tablet at work 36% 50%p > 0.05 ?> (5) Agree or strongly agree that study resources are well organized 32%73%p < 0.05 ?> (6) Agree or strongly agree that study resources are easily accessible 41%91%p < 0.05 ?> (7) Agree or strongly agree that study resources encourage active learning 27%77%p < 0.05 ?> (8) Agree or strongly agree that study resources motivate to study radiology on a daily basis 18%82%p < 0.05 ?> (9) Agree or strongly agree that study resources will adequately prepare for radiology board exam 36%82%p < 0.05(10) Agree or strongly agree that overall satisfied with study resources provided by residency program 36%82%p < 0.05(11) Used tablet at least 25% of the time during daily lecture 32% 59%p > 0.05(12) Agree or strongly agree that using tablet device during daily lecture improves learning 50% 68%p > 0.05
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Discussion
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