Background/Purpose: The symptoms related to Rheumatologic diseases are responsible for one third of visits to general practitioners, yet medical students and residents remain inadequately prepared to approach and manage Rheumatologic problems (Freedman and Bernstein, 2002). There are few resources available to junior learners in Rheumatology. Several handbooks written by Canadian Rheumatologists exist, though none combine clinical images, interactivity and case-based learning in an electronic format. Electronic learning (e-learning) provides a highly flexible medium for information presentation, multimedia and self-assessment in a mobile, searchable, user-friendly platform. Evidence suggests that peer-generated e-learning adds value, though most residents do not have extensive software expertise in developing e-resources. Here we present an interactive, peer-developed case-based Rheumatology iBook produced by residents for learners in Rheumatology aimed to address these gaps.

Methods: Our iBook was written in the free, easy-to-use program “iBooks Author”. The target audience was medical students and residents completing a rotation in Rheumatology. Key learning objectives for a Rheumatology rotation were identified and addressed as the main sections of the iBook. Sections include approaches to common rheumatologic presentations, case presentations of rheumatologic conditions commonly encountered over a rotation or general practice, and appendices, including approaches to serology, medications and joint aspiration. Clinical images and self-assessments add interactivity. The iBook was evaluated in a survey of learners rotating through Rheumatology at Queen’s University, with pre- and post-rotation surveys.

Results: The survey is ongoing, however preliminary data shows high satisfaction with our resource and improvement in learners’ knowledge. All learners surveyed agree or strongly agree the iBook is user-friendly (75% strongly agree), well organized (75% agree, 25% strongly agree), and has an appropriate level of material and cases (75% strongly agree). All participants found the iBook useful for rotation preparation (50% agree, 50% strongly agree) and would recommend it to a colleague (57% agree, 43% strongly agree). All participants improved their comfort with Rheumatology topics on a Likert scale pre- and post-assessment. Pre-intervention global comfort level was 2.3/4 and post-intervention was 3/4, with similar trends of improvement in the specific topics surveyed. The iBook itself was free and easy to create without additional training in computer programming.

Conclusion: We present the first peer-developed e-learning resource of its kind in Rheumatology that can be used as a rotation resource for junior learners across the country. Although content writing remains labour-intensive, the iBook modality allows easy updating and minimal knowledge of programming by the writers. Conversion to non-iBook format is possible for further distribution across platforms. The iBook structure can easily be adapted to other medical education topics and is a user-friendly method of e-publication for busy residents interested in medical education.

« Back to 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/peer-developed-e-learning-resource-can-address-rheumatology-knowledge-gaps-in-junior-learners/