Abstract No. 481 Impact of the Introduction to Research Online Program (ITROP) on IR-bound trainees

Abstract

Purpose: Despite substantial increases in number and enthusiasm of trainees expressing interest in research in IR, there is a paucity of educational resources available to facilitate entry into the field. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Introduction to Research Online Program (ITROP) on trainee competence and confidence. Materials: An online program consisting of 10 webinars presented by prominent academic IR physicians was developed to address the basics of IR research, ranging from formulating a research hypothesis to publication. Society of Interventional Radiology-sponsored certificates were offered to those that attended at least 6 of the 10 webinars. Pre-and post-webinar surveys and quizzes, and overall pre-and post-program surveys were offered. Within-subject differences in pre-and post-webinar survey responses were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Of a total of 271 participants, 256 completed the pre-program survey. 92% were IR-bound trainees, including 67% medical students and 27% residents/fellows from 138 institutions. At the start, 96% considered research to be important and 41% had little to no confidence in conducting research. 68% attended at least 1 and 37% attended at least 6 live webinars. The average pre-and post-webinar survey response rate was 40%. Significant increases in perceived knowledge were seen following each webinar across all objectives (p<0.001). An average of 95% of post-webinar survey respondents agreed the presented material was useful to their future careers and research goals. The post-program survey response rate was 26%. Nearly all post-program survey respondents attended 6 or more lectures (97%) and claimed increased understanding of research principles (99%) and greater confidence in pursuing their research goals (94%). Conclusions: The online program ITROP is a valuable new resource in providing basic research training for IR-bound trainees. Subsequent advanced programs are needed to help IR-bound trainees achieve their research goals.