Effectiveness of ABOG’s Article-Based Questions on Diplomates’ Retention of Knowledge [10G

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: As part of continuing certification, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) diplomates complete article-based assessments annually. Diplomates read articles, respond to article questions, and must score above a certain threshold to demonstrate competence in their understanding. There is a paucity of evidence that diplomates retain the information after reading articles. The study objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of the two question types (understanding and application) at measuring diplomates’ retention of knowledge over time. METHODS: A sample of 344 diplomates who chose selected articles between January-March 2019 volunteered for the study. Diplomates completed article questions in a business-as-usual setting (with article access) and were assessed again during summer 2019 (without article access). Each participant received 2 questions (one of each type) from 5 of the selected articles, for a total of 10 questions. The timed summer assessment was used as a proxy for retention. Diplomates’ scores, by item type, from each assessment setting were compared using a t-test to determine whether information was retained from the articles. RESULTS: The information assessed by application items was retained at a significantly higher rate (80.58%) than understanding items (60.75%), as demonstrated by mean scores on the assessment (P<.05). CONCLUSION: Application items yielded a higher knowledge retention rate. Understanding items ensure diplomates comprehend the article while application questions ensure diplomates can generalize and apply their understanding from the article. A combination of both item types for article-based assessments is necessary and this study demonstrates that diplomates retain the information they read from articles.