Purpose: To evaluate whether implementation of a structured resident
research program improved scholarly productivity at an academic obstetrics and
gynecology (OB-GYN) program.
Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
Education requires resident participation in scholarly activity. Since
the 1970s, OB-GYN residents at University of Colorado (CU) have been required
to complete a research project. Starting with the graduating class of
2016, the CU OB-GYN program appointed two Assistant Program Directors of
Resident Research who instituted a formalized research program including
didactics, timelines, detailed protocol review, an expectation of manuscript
submission, and an internal grant funding mechanism.
Methods: We compared scholarly productivity related to the
required resident research projects for the graduating classes of 2012-2014
(before program implementation) and 2016-2018 (after implementation). Two
investigators independently searched for abstracts presented at national
meetings, grants received, and publications using PubMed and Google search
engines. We also confirmed with the resident or mentor. We compared
the proportion of residents who had an accepted abstract or manuscript for
their research projects using Fisher’s exact test.
Results: Fifty-four residents were included; 27 before and 27
after program implementation. The proportion of residents who had oral
presentations at a national meeting remained the same (11%), whereas those with
an accepted poster presentation increased from 44% to 89% (p=0.001). The
proportion who had manuscript publication increased from 26% to 59%
(p=0.03).
Discussions: A formalized, structured research curriculum resulted in improved
scholarly productivity. Our experience can guide other programs faced
with the challenge of improving resident scholarly activity and output.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2019, Resident, Faculty, Residency Director, Systems-Based Practice & Improvement, GME, Independent Study,
Maryam Guiahi,
MD, MSc, University
of Colorado; Meredith Alston, MD;
Torri Metz,
MD, MS; Sara
Mazzoni, MD,
MPH
