Authors: Ryan P Sabotin, BS; Nitin A Pagedar, MD, MPH; Henry T. Hoffman, MD

Presentation of analysis performed through the Carver College of Medicine Healthcare Delivery Science, Management, and Policy Distinction Track

Background

• Surgical preparation is difficult as a medical student, blending medical knowledge with anatomical knowledge. Oftentimes, medical students are preparing for cases or clinics with only an evening's notice; therefore, there is a need for easy, acessible, and fast resources for surgical preparation. Additionally, cases are often switched or cancelled, and students are moved to different ORs and need quick access to reliable resources at a moments notice.
• In the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic shift between textual and video resources. Throughout the pandemic, online and virtual teaching resources have become a primary mode of learning.
• The Iowa Head and Neck Protocols is an open-access, online resource offering a compilation of diagnostic and management preferences. It was originally published in book form in 2000, but was adapted to an online, wiki format in 2009 to extend information to a larger audience.
  • Daily updates are performed by a variety of health care providers involved in the otolaryngological care of patients at the University of Iowa, including:
    • Physicians (Faculty, Fellows, Residents)
    • Medical Students
    • Speech Language Pathologists
    • Research Faculty

Objectives

• Gauge familiarity and usage of Iowa Head and Neck Protocols in 4th year medical students applying for Otolaryngology Residency.
• Understand the importance of online resources for surgical preparation in ENT and medical student preferences
• Gather suggestions for improving Iowa Head and Neck Protocols for medical student use.

Survey 

• Sent anonymously to 105 students who were invited to interview with the University of Iowa Dept. of Otolaryngology (excluding internal applicants). 23 responses were recorded for a response rate of 22%.

Results

• See gallery for data and graphs. 

Take Away

• Open-access online resources are crucial for medical student learning in a surgical setting. Videos, photographs/atlases, and step-by-step procedural information were reported as the most important to medical students in surgical preparation.
• Easy readabililty and mobile-friendly formats are becoming more desirable for resources used by medical students. 

Next Steps

• Plans to expand our survey to a larger scope of medical students who are interested in ENT, as well as surveying residents and faculty within ENT. This includes asking questions about source credibility and ease of access for resources used for surgical preparation.
• Plans to increase focus on videos within the Iowa Head and Neck Protocols, including a transition from YouTube platform to Panopto for easy upload and fewer video restrictions.
• Beginning a 1-year Research Scholar fellowship for a medical student to focus on peer-reviewed and web-based publications (such as the Iowa Head and Neck Protocols). Plans to improve readability of pages.
  • see: University of Iowa Otolaryngology Medical Student Research Scholar Fellowship
• Potential to develop an app for the Iowa Head and Neck Protocols for further improving accessibility for quick reference.