Teaching perioperative medicine to residents

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of 3 methods of teaching perioperative medicine to residents. · Methods: Residents were given pre- and post-rotation tests and confidence surveys. Year 1, the medical attendings were instructed to teach a set of PowerPoint modules as a core consult curriculum; year 2, the senior medicine residents were instructed to teach the modules, in conjunction with the attending. In year 3, a 1.5-hour interactive pretest review session, with an introduction to the modules, was added. The modules were then opened to everyone on service for self-study and/or teaching. Residents and attendings were still encouraged to use the modules as a core teaching curriculum. · Results: Sixty residents participated-18 the first year and 21 each in years 2 and 3. The mean pretest scores were 56.8% to 58.4%. With attending and resident teaching, the average posttest score rose to 73%. Adding a pretest review session and inclusive module availability, the average posttest score rose to 85.7%. The pre-rotation confidence survey scores dropped each year, from 7.1 to 6.2 to 5.3, but the post-rotation confidence scores remained at 8.0. · Conclusion: Pre-rotation tests provide housestaff insight into their knowledge gaps, improving selfawareness of their practice confidence. Reviewing a pre-rotation test with the housestaff and directing them to a site of evidence-based modules and references improved knowledge beyond didactic attending and resident teaching alone.