Determining preferred educational methods for neurological surgery residents regarding organ donation

Design and implementation of professional education, especially physician education, continues to challenge procurement professionals. At the request of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the United Network for Organ Sharing undertook a project to develop educational materials for neurological surgery residents. A survey tool was developed and administered on site at 11 neurological surgery residency programs in the United States. The survey explored the types of learning environments, teaching methods, educational resources, and audiovisual aids that neurological surgery residents typically experience during their residency programs. In addition, the survey sought to uncover the residents' informational needs regarding organ and tissue donation presentations as well as their educational program preferences. Based on our findings, neurological surgery residents prefer presentations that are brief and to the point, that are easily understood, that require no reading, that contain limited important information, and that always include food.