Randomized Controlled Trial of RSS Reader Use and Resident Familiarity With Primary Literature

Awareness of the primary literature is important for clinicians. Lack of time, poor access to information, and lack of personal initiative may be barriers for some trainees. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) readers aggregate web content, such as journal abstracts, in a single location for easy viewing.

We assessed whether use of an RSS reader would increase resident reading frequency, familiarity, and understanding of the primary literature.

We conducted a single-center, prospective, randomized, nonblinded, controlled trial of the effect of RSS reader use on knowledge of recent literature among pediatrics residents. Residents were randomly assigned to the RSS group (education in RSS use and receipt of the Pediatrics RSS feed) or a control group that followed standard reading practices. Outcome measures were differences on baseline and monthly surveys of reading frequency, familiarity with recent publications, and knowledge of recent articles (familiarity validation).

Of 144 eligible residents, 79 (55%) were enrolled in the survey, with 81% (64 of 79) of participants completing all surveys. The RSS reader use was correlated with greater familiarity with selected articles, but not with improved understanding (as measured by ability to answer multiple-choice questions about content). Participants reported satisfaction with the RSS reader based on its ease of use, accessibility, and as an aid in supplementing reading.

The RSS reader use was accepted by residents and associated with increased familiarity with the primary literature but not with increased understanding.