Using a web-based survey for the annual internal medicine residency evaluation

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Administration
• Survey Methodology

Background:

• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education mandates annual residency program surveys.
• Traditional paper-based surveys present administrative challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficiency and quality improvements of transitioning from paper-based to web-based surveys in internal medicine residency programs.
• To determine the prevalence of web-based survey usage among residency programs.

Main Methods:

• A switch from paper to web-based surveys was implemented in one internal medicine residency program.
• A concurrent web-based and telephone survey assessed survey methodology in 17 Southern California internal medicine residency programs.
• Data was collected from 15 programs, achieving an 88% response rate.

Main Results:

• The transition to web-based surveys saved over 50 administrative hours and 1000 sheets of paper.
• The investment for the web-based system was minimal ($20 for an account and 15 hours for migration).
• Survey results indicated 80% of programs utilized web-based systems, with SurveyMonkey being the most popular.

Conclusions:

• Web-based surveys enhance the quality of resident feedback by enabling real-time analysis and response.
• Residents appreciated the improvements associated with the web-based survey system.
• The study recommends adopting web-based surveys for programs still relying on paper-based methods.