An Interactive, Multimodal Curriculum to Teach Pediatric Cardiology to House Staff

Abstract

Pediatricians must be able to diagnose, triage, and manage infants and children with congenital heart disease. The pediatric cardiology division at the Medical University of South Carolina updated their curriculum for pediatric residents to a format supported by constructivist learning theory. The purpose of this study is to determine if shorter, interactive learning with fellow and faculty involvement improved pediatric cardiology knowledge demonstrated through test scores and resident satisfaction. A curriculum of short lectures and interactive workshops was delivered over 6 weeks in August and September 2018. Residents answered a 10-question pretest prior to the curriculum, followed by a post-test immediately after the last session and a delayed post-test 8 months later. Residents also provided summative feedback on the educational sessions. Sixty-six residents were eligible to participate in the curriculum with 44 (67%) completing the pretest, 40 (61%) completing the post-test, and 33 (50%) completing the delayed post-test. The mean score increased significantly from 56 to 68% between the pretest and post-test (p = 0.0018). The delayed post-test mean score remained high at 71% without significant change (p = 0.46). Overall feedback was positive highlighting the interactive nature of lectures and the participation of cardiology fellows. Using an interactive, multimodal educational series, pediatric residents had a significant increase in pediatric cardiology test scores and demonstrated good retention.

Flipping the Otolaryngology Didactics Curriculum: Results of a Novel Resident Course Structure

“…However, our results are similar to other studies, which found slight increases in objective scores for certain topics delivered using the FC format 10 . Yet the data is mixed, and some studies were unable to detect a difference in scores with either format 11–13 . Furthermore, some of the literature suggests that active learning, rather than the mode of delivery of didactics curriculum, results in improved test scores 11,14 .…”

“…10 Yet the data is mixed, and some studies were unable to detect a difference in scores with either format. [11][12][13] Furthermore, some of the literature suggests that active learning, rather than the mode of delivery of didactics curriculum, results in improved test scores. 11,14 Despite these limitations, our mode of FC delivery is unique in that it also incorporates the utilization of open-source resources, with the goal of maximizing resident efficiency in learning.…”

“…[11][12][13] Furthermore, some of the literature suggests that active learning, rather than the mode of delivery of didactics curriculum, results in improved test scores. 11,14 Despite these limitations, our mode of FC delivery is unique in that it also incorporates the utilization of open-source resources, with the goal of maximizing resident efficiency in learning. These benefits were reflected in the positive qualitative feedback from residents regarding the efficiency of learning.…”

Missed or Delayed Diagnosis of Heart Disease by the General Pediatrician

“…Pediatric residents must be able to diagnose, triage, and manage infants and children with congenital heart disease [123,124]. The pediatric cardiology division at the Medical University of South Carolina updated their curriculum for pediatric residents aiming to determine if shorter lectures with more active learning with faculty and fellow participation is associated with comprehension and retention of core pediatric cardiology knowledge as demonstrated by mean test scores [124]. The results of the study showed that using an active, multimodal educational series, pediatric residents had a significant increase in mean test scores in pediatric cardiology and demonstrated good retention.…”