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Out of Touch: A Nationwide Mixed-Methods e-Learning Needs Assessment of General Surgery Residents
Joshua A Roshal1, Sarah Lund2, Joseph C L'Huillier3
1University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Collaboration of Surgical Education Fellows (CoSEF).
Journal of Surgical Education
|April 20, 2025
Summary
General surgery residents desire more engaging e-learning, especially for Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) milestones. Current resources lack clinical relevance, necessitating innovative digital tools for better surgical training.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education Technology
- Surgical Training
- Digital Health Learning
Background:
- The digital age necessitates e-learning in health professions education.
- General surgery residents report dissatisfaction with current study methods.
- Adapting e-learning to resident preferences is crucial for engagement in the Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) era.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore general surgery residents' experiences, attitudes, and preferences regarding e-learning.
- To identify opportunities for enhancing e-learning instruction within the EPA framework of surgical education.
Main Methods:
- Convergent parallel design utilizing a national survey and semi-structured interviews.
- Survey assessed e-learning resource utilization, satisfaction, and financial investment.
- Interviews explored resident preferences for effective e-learning features; data analyzed using comparative statistics and reflexive thematic analysis.
Main Results:
- Residents reported higher satisfaction with medical school e-learning resources compared to residency resources.
- Significant financial investment differences were observed for USMLE preparation versus ABSITE.
- Interviews revealed preferences for mobile learning, multimedia, gamification, and competency-based assessments, noting a gap with EPA paradigms.
Conclusions:
- Current residency e-learning resources lack clinical relevance and alignment with competency-based assessments.
- Innovative e-learning platforms are needed to support EPA milestones and clinical competency development in surgical education.
- Addressing these gaps will improve the quality and efficiency of surgical training for independent practice.
