BACKGROUND Resident reading and information seeking behavior is limited by time constraints, and comfort accessing and assessing evidence based resources. Educational technology interventions, as the preferred method for millennial leaners, can reduce these barriers. We implemented an educational web tool, consisting of peer-reviewed articles, local and national protocols and policies, built into the daily workflow of a university based anesthesiology department. We hypothesized that this web tool would increase resource utilization, and overall perceptions of the educational environment. OBJECTIVE To demonstrate that an educational web tool designed and built into the daily workflow of an academic anesthesia department for trainees will significantly decrease barriers to resource utilization and improve faculty-trainee teaching interactions and the perceptions of the educational environment. METHODS Following IRB approval, a longitudinal cohort survey study was conducted to assess trainee resource utilization, faculty evaluation of trainees’ resource utilization, and trainee and faculty perceptions about the educational environment. The survey study was conducted in a pre-/post- fashion three months prior to web tool implementation, and three months following implementation. Data were de-identified, and analyzed unpaired using students t-test for continuous data, and chi-squared test for ordinal data. RESULTS Survey response rates were greater then 50% in all groups. Trainees showed a significant improvement in utilization of peer-reviewed articles (pre-implementation mean 8.67, post-implementation mean 18.27; P=.02), national guidelines (pre-implementation mean 2.3, post-implementation mean 6.14; P=.001) and local policies and protocols (pre-implementation mean 2.23, post-implementation mean 6.95; P=.015). There was significant improvement in faculty-trainee educational interactions. Faculty assessment of trainee resource utilization significantly improved across all resource categories. Subgroups amongst trainees and faculty showed similar trends towards improvement. CONCLUSIONS Learning technology interventions significantly decrease the barriers to resource utilization, particularly among millennial learners. Further investigation has been undertaken to assess how this may impact learning, knowledge retention, and patient outcomes. CLINICALTRIAL MedStar Georgetown University IRB exemption granted.

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Background Medical resident reading and information-seeking behavior is limited by time constraints as well as comfort in accessing and assessing evidence-based resources. Educational technology interventions, as the preferred method for millennial leaners, can reduce these barriers. We implemented an educational web tool, consisting of peer-reviewed articles as well as local and national protocols and policies, built into the daily workflow of a university-based anesthesiology department. We hypothesized that this web tool would increase resource utilization and overall perceptions of the educational environment. Objective The goal of this study was to demonstrate that an educational web tool designed and built into the daily workflow of an academic anesthesia department for trainees could significantly decrease barriers to resource utilization, improve faculty-trainee teaching interactions, and improve the perceptions of the educational environment. Methods Following Institutional Review Board approval, a longitudinal cohort survey study was conducted to assess trainee resource utilization, faculty evaluation of trainees’ resource utilization, and trainee and faculty perceptions about the educational environment. The survey study was conducted in a pre-post fashion 3 months prior to web tool implementation and 3 months following implementation. Data were deidentified and analyzed unpaired using Student t tests for continuous data and chi-square tests for ordinal data. Results Survey response rates were greater than 50% in all groups: of the 43 trainees, we obtained 27 (63%) preimplementation surveys and 22 (51%) postimplementation surveys; of the 46 faculty members, we obtained 25 (54%) preimplementation surveys and 23 (50%) postimplementation surveys. Trainees showed a significant improvement in utilization of peer-reviewed articles (preimplementation mean 8.67, SD 6.45; postimplementation mean 18.27, SD 12.23; P=.02), national guidelines (preimplementation mean 2.3, SD 2.40; postimplementation mean 6.14, SD 5.01; P<.001), and local policies and protocols (preimplementation mean 2.23, SD 2.72; postimplementation mean 6.95, SD 6.09; P=.02). There was significant improvement in faculty-trainee educational interactions (preimplementation mean 1.67, SD 1.33; postimplementation mean 6.05, SD 8.74; P=.01). Faculty assessment of trainee resource utilization also demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all resource categories. Subgroups among trainees and faculty showed similar trends toward improvement. Conclusions Learning technology interventions significantly decrease the barriers to resource utilization, particularly among millennial learners. Further investigation has been undertaken to assess how this may impact learning, knowledge retention, and patient outcomes.