Enhancing intern emergency medicine education using a combined didactic and web-based learning curriculum: The EDGE...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Digital Learning

Background:

• Traditional classroom education is a cornerstone of intern training.
• Integrating web-based learning offers a flexible supplement to traditional methods.
• Assessing the impact of blended learning on medical knowledge is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a blended education program for emergency medicine interns.
• To determine if integrating web-based learning enhances medical knowledge acquisition.
• To assess intern satisfaction with the blended learning approach.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study of emergency department interns over two years.
• Participants received weekly classroom education and voluntary web-based modules.
• Knowledge was assessed via pre- and post-term multiple-choice examinations.
• Intern satisfaction was measured using a survey.

Main Results:

• Overall examination scores significantly improved from week 1 to week 10 (68% to 80%).
• Interns completing over 75% of web-based modules showed a significantly greater improvement in scores (27%) compared to those completing less (16%).
• Interns reported high satisfaction with the blended learning program.

Conclusions:

• A blended curriculum integrating web-based resources with classroom learning shows promise.
• This approach can effectively enhance intern emergency medicine education.
• Web-based learning integration appears to boost knowledge acquisition in medical interns.