The use of free online educational resources by Canadian emergency medicine residents and program directors

Abstract

Introduction: Online educational resources (OERs) are increasingly available for emergency medicine (EM) education. This study describes and compares the use of free OERs by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) EM residents and program directors (PDs) and investigates the relationship between the use of OERs and peer-reviewed literature. Methods: A bilingual, online survey was distributed to RCPSC-EM residents and PDs using a modified Dillman method. The chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the responses of residents and PDs. Results: The survey was completed by 214/350 (61%) residents and 11/14 (79%) PDs. Free OERs were used by residents most frequently for general EM education (99.5%), procedural skills training (96%), and learning to interpret diagnostic tests (92%). OER modalities used most frequently included wikis (95%), file-sharing websites (95%), e-textbooks (94%), and podcasts (91%). Residents used wikis, podcasts, vodcasts, and file-sharing websites significantly more frequently than PDs. Relative to PDs, residents found entertainment value to be more important for choosing OERs (p < 0.01). Some residents (23%) did not feel that literature references were important, whereas all PDs did. Both groups reported that OERs increased the amount of peer-reviewed literature (75% and 60%, respectively) that they read. Conclusions: EM residents make extensive use of OERs and differ from their PDs in the importance that they place on their entertainment value and incorporation of peer-reviewed references. OERs may increase the use of peer-reviewed literature in both groups. Given the prevalence of OER use for core educational goals among RCPSC-EM trainees, future efforts to facilitate critical appraisal and appropriate resource selection are warranted.

CAEP 2015 Academic Symposium: Current State and Recommendations to Achieve Adequate and Sustainable Funding for Emergency Medicine Academic Units

“…The growth in these media is undeniable, and their effects on education and research are documented. [9][10][11][12] These freely available tools may be leveraged to reduce the costs of knowledge sharing and may potentially be a beneficial marketing tool to prospective philanthropic donors on the value of emergency medicine.…”

CAEP Residents’ Section: A Unified Voice for Canadian Emergency Medicine Trainees

“…3 In addition, social media has become an important channel for Knowledge Translation (KT). 4,5 An important function of the CAEP RS is to enhance KT through active collaboration with both the CJEM social media team and Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAMed) champions across Canada.…”

Approved Instructional Resources Series: A National Initiative to Identify Quality Emergency Medicine Blog and Podcast Content for Resident Education

“…''Individualized learning away from groups of similar level learners, which allows learners to consume material at their own pace on their own timetable,'' 3 coincides with the rapid increase and popularity of educational blogs and podcasts in EM. [4][5][6] Although a few individual residency programs have instituted asynchronous learning activities to replace didactic conference time, 7 many programs are hesitant to adopt blogs and podcasts as III-eligible asynchronous learning material because few have peer review or quality assurance measures. Despite early studies on identifying and ensuring quality, 8,9 no academic guidelines currently exist to help health professions educators identify trustworthy blogs and podcasts for their learners.…”