S2319 Maximum Recall: A Novel Advanced Endoscopy Interactive Tool Improves Education Outcomes for Gastroenterology Fellows

Introduction: Novel mobile or web-based spaced repetition flashcard algorithms have been used to teach medical students and residents. Spaced repetition has been shown to improve long term knowledge retention, however there have been no previous studies on the use of these learning methods for internal medicine fellowship education. The aim of our funded project was to evaluate the use of interactive mobile space repetition flashcards to improve educational outcomes for advanced endoscopy and hepatobiliary topics for general gastroenterology fellows. Methods: A slide deck of mobile interactive flashcards, Anki, were developed based on board style gastroenterology topics about advanced endoscopy, pancreas and hepatobiliary diseases. General GI fellows rotating on the advanced endoscopy service were given access to the mobile deck and completed the deck during their time on the rotation. The fellows were given a pre-test on the first day of the 2-week rotation and a post-test when the slide deck was completed. The tests included 20 gastroenterology board style questions on advanced endoscopy topics and pancreaticobiliary diseases. A follow-up survey was obtained to assess the perceived educational value of the novel curriculum. This project was funded by a Medical Education Grant provided by the Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Results: Eight gastroenterology fellows completed the program (4 first year, 2 second year, 2 third year). There was a significant increase in the pre vs post test scores after completing the mobile deck, 13.4(±3.0)/20, 67% vs 16.4(±3.7)/20, 82%, P = 0.019. There was no significant difference in the rates of improvement between the years of fellowship training. On the survey, 50% of the fellows reported individual reading/studying and 38% reported lectures as their preferred learning method. Despite this, 75% were interested or very interested in using this type of mobile learning for other gastroenterology and hepatology topics. Seventy-five percent of the fellows enjoyed their experience with the novel educational format. Conclusion: 1) Novel spaced repetition mobile interactive flashcards are an effective method of teaching complex advanced endoscopy topics to gastroenterology fellows. 2) This unique convenient method can improve educational outcomes for all levels of fellowship training. 3) This type of educational technique should be applied to other areas within gastroenterology and hepatology training to improve long-term knowledge retention.