Navigating the Infinite Number of Educational Resources: The Development of a Publicly Available Surgical Educational Digital Resource Library

Abstract

There has been an explosion of digital resources available for general surgical education and board preparation. This makes it difficult for a new learner, regardless of their training level, to determine which resources best fit their needs. The uncertainty surrounding resource selection due to the large number of options causes stress, anxiety, and inefficiency for surgical learners. Our objective was to develop a digital surgical educational resource library to assist with selection. A needs assessment via multi-center focus groups encompassing all levels of learners from various subspecialties and training levels (medical students, trainees, junior surgeons, and senior surgeons) was performed to determine what information is desired in a surgical resource library. We conducted follow-up interviews and surveys to learn which resources were most commonly used for studying throughout training. Multi-institutional RESULTS: The initial needs assessment detailed requests for an expansive array of surgical resources characterized by media type and price. We identified 104 resources that met these criteria. There were 33 resources used by medical students, 37 by residents, 16 used specifically for surgical boards preparation, and 25 by attending surgeons. These resources were composed of textbooks, review books, question banks, audio resources, video resources, and review courses. The prices of the resources ranged from free to greater than 400 dollars. A digital resource library should be broad and must address needs that change along a learner's career. Changes and improvements are required not only to meet the changing needs of the learners, but also to ensure the library remains current with the ever-growing number of resources. We plan to incorporate reviews of the resources from those surveyed to help visitors of the online library determine which resources may best suit their needs. Development of a digital resource library may assist learners by helping them easily identify what is available and has been peer reviewed allowing them to determine what best meets their educational needs.