TY - JOUR
T1 - Integrative medicine in residency
T2 - Feasibility and effectiveness of an online program
AU - Lebensohn, Patricia
AU - Kligler, Benjamin
AU - Brooks, Audrey J.
AU - Teets, Raymond
AU - Birch, Michele
AU - Cook, Paula
AU - Maizes, Victoria
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank Emily Sherbrooke for her invaluable assistance in preparing this manuscript. Financial support: Funding for the Integrative Medicine in Residency program and its evaluation has been provided by a Congressionally-directed grant administered through the US Department of Education. Contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education and do not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Additional support comes from the Weil Foundation, the David C. and Lura M. Lovell Foundation, the Joan B. Diamond Charitable Lead Trust, and multiple generous individuals. None of the funders had any role in the design or conduct of the study, the collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of data, the preparation, review or approval of the manuscript, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Presentations: Partially reported at the 2015 STFM Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, and 2014 North American Primary Care Research Group Annual Meeting, New York, NY.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/7/1
Y1 - 2017/7/1
N2 - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Online curricular interventions in residency have been proposed to address challenges of time, cost, and curriculum consistency. This study is designed to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a longitudinal, multisite online curriculum in integrative medicine (IMR) for residents. METHODS: Residents from eight family medicine programs undertook the 200-hour online IMR curriculum. Their medical knowledge (MK) scores at completion were compared to a control group from four similar residency programs. Study and control groups were comparable in baseline demographics, and MK scores. Course completion, MK scores, and course evaluations were assessed. RESULTS: Of 186 IMR residents, 76.9% met completion requirements. The IMR group showed statistically significant higher MK scores at residency completion, the control group did not (IMR: 79.2% vs. Control: 53.2% mean correct). Over three-fourths of IMR participants (range 79-92%) chose the top two rating categories for each course evaluation item. In an exit survey, ability to access the curriculum for 1 additional year and intention to utilize IM approaches after residency were the highest ranked items. CONCLUSIONS: The demonstrated feasibility, effectiveness, and positive evaluations of the IMR curriculum indicate that a multisite, online curricular intervention is a potentially viable approach to offering new curriculum with limited on-site faculty expertise for other family medicine residencies.
AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Online curricular interventions in residency have been proposed to address challenges of time, cost, and curriculum consistency. This study is designed to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a longitudinal, multisite online curriculum in integrative medicine (IMR) for residents. METHODS: Residents from eight family medicine programs undertook the 200-hour online IMR curriculum. Their medical knowledge (MK) scores at completion were compared to a control group from four similar residency programs. Study and control groups were comparable in baseline demographics, and MK scores. Course completion, MK scores, and course evaluations were assessed. RESULTS: Of 186 IMR residents, 76.9% met completion requirements. The IMR group showed statistically significant higher MK scores at residency completion, the control group did not (IMR: 79.2% vs. Control: 53.2% mean correct). Over three-fourths of IMR participants (range 79-92%) chose the top two rating categories for each course evaluation item. In an exit survey, ability to access the curriculum for 1 additional year and intention to utilize IM approaches after residency were the highest ranked items. CONCLUSIONS: The demonstrated feasibility, effectiveness, and positive evaluations of the IMR curriculum indicate that a multisite, online curricular intervention is a potentially viable approach to offering new curriculum with limited on-site faculty expertise for other family medicine residencies.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85022069532&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85022069532&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 28724148
AN - SCOPUS:85022069532
SN - 0742-3225
VL - 49
SP - 514
EP - 521
JO - Family medicine
JF - Family medicine
IS - 7
ER -