APGO

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a prevalent condition inconsistently addressed in medical education. Innovative didactic approaches are needed to increase knowledge on UI and improve care for affected women. An e-learning module was created and validated to teach UI learning objectives.  We hypothesized that the module would be as effective as a Urogynecology rotation in providing satisfactory knowledge on UI.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 3rd year medical students were consecutively approached during OB/GYN clerkship. All were assigned one-week of Gynecologic surgery; a proportion was also assigned a Urogynecology rotation. The e-learning module was administered during the Gynecology week.  A validated knowledge-based questionnaire administered pre- and post-module review was utilized to determine its effectiveness. Twenty-nine students were needed to characterize differences between groups based on validation data.

Results: Seventy students completed the OB/GYN clerkship August 2014–March 2015, 35 (50%) completed pre- and post-questionnaires and were included for analysis.  Fifty-one percent of students were female and 49% were male.  Of 22 possible points, the mean baseline and post-module questionnaire scores were 11.7±3.3 (53% correct) and 15.1±3.2 (69% correct) p>0.05, respectively.  Most participants (57%) had a Urogynecology rotation. Mean changes in questionnaire scores were similar between students with and without Urogynecology exposure [3.65±3.91 vs. 3.07±3.69, p=0.66, respectively]. Student satisfaction was similar between groups,[72% (with Urogynecology) vs 57%(without Urogynecology), p=0.37, respectively].

Discussions: A UI e-learning module may be a comparable and satisfactory replacement for Urogynecology patient exposure.

Keywords: urinary incontinence, teaching