Abstract
Introduction
Electronic flashcards allow repeated information exposure over time along with active recall. It is increasingly used for self-study by medical students but remains poorly implemented for graduate medical education. The primary goal of this study was to determine whether a flashcard system enhances preparation for the in-training examination in obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) conducted by the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG).
Methods
Ob-gyn residents at Duke University were included in this study. A total of 883 electronic flashcards were created and distributed. CREOG scores and flashcard usage statistics, generated internally by interacting with the electronic flashcard system, were collected after the 2019 exam. The primary outcome was study aid usage and satisfaction. The secondary outcome was the impact of flashcard usage on CREOG exam scores.
Results
Of the 32 residents, 31 (97%) participated in this study. Eighteen (58%) residents used the study’s flashcards with a median of 276 flashcards studied over a median of 3.7 h. All of the flashcard users found the study aid helpful, and all would recommend them to another ob-gyn resident. Using the flashcards to study for the 2019 CREOG exam appeared to correlate with improvement in scores from 2018 to 2019, but did not achieve statistical significance after adjusting for post-graduate year (beta coefficient = 10.5; 95% confidence interval = − 0.60,21.7; p = 0.06).
Discussion
This flashcard resource was well received by ob-gyn residents for in-training examination preparation, though it was not significantly correlated with improvement in CREOG scores after adjusting for post-graduate year.
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Availability of Data and Material
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Change history
22 June 2021
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01344-5
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Funding
The Duke BERD Method Core’s support of this project was made possible (in part) by Grant Number UL1TR002553 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research.
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Shelun Tsai: PGY-4 Resident. Co-conceived the idea behind the project; planned, designed, and executed the project; co-wrote the manuscript.
Michael Sun: PGY-4 Fellow. Co-conceived the idea behind the project; planned and designed the project; co-wrote the manuscript.
Melinda Asbury: Assistant professor of psychiatry. Assisted with project design; edited the manuscript.
Jeremy Weber: Biostatistician. Analyzed data; edited the manuscript.
Tracy Truong: Biostatistician. Analyzed data; edited the manuscript.
Elizabeth Deans: Assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology. Assisted with project design; facilitated coordination of the project with resident education curriculum; edited the manuscript.
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The original article has been updated to correct the affiliations for 3 of the authors (Shelun Tsai, Michael Sun, and Melinda Asbury)
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Tsai, S., Sun, M., Asbury, M.L. et al. Novel Spaced Repetition Flashcard System for the In-training Examination for Obstetrics and Gynecology. Med.Sci.Educ. 31, 1393–1399 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01320-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01320-z