Formative evaluation of a pediatric digital library's educational content and comparison to national curricular standards

Abstract

Background: U.S. medical education has undergone numerous regulatory changes; to maintain educational consistency and quality, these changes must be met with innovative educational methods.

Aim: A formative evaluation of a pediatric digital library (PDL) documenting its content and comparing it to 3 national medical education curricula was performed.

Methods: The PDL's weekly cases are written using templates based on specific educational constructs. Cases (N = 150) were evaluated in November 2007. Data was tabulated by age group, specialty, symptom/presentation and disease/problem. Curriculum maps were developed from 3 national curricula and topics were mapped to one or more equivalent PDL topics. Data was tabulated for total national curriculum topics, mapped PDL topics and weekly cases.

Results: The cases covered 100% of all pediatric age groups (N = 9) and specialties (N = 42). They covered 85% of the symptoms/problems (N = 127) and 37.2% of the diseases/problems (N = 707). Although the PDL was not explicitly designed to meet these national curricula standards, >80% of the topics in these curricula were covered.

Conclusions: The PDL broadly covered national curricular standards and represents an unstructured pediatric curriculum. It offers a complementary and alternative educational method of medical education for educators and learners at all stages of professional development.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Donna M. D’Alessandro

DONNA M. D'ALESSANDRO, M.D. is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. She is a general pediatrician and is an expert in the creation and evaluation of online educational resources and digital libraries. Her current work can be seen at www.educationalinformatics.org

Michael P. D'Alessandro

MICHAEL P. D'ALESSANDRO, M.D. is a Professor of Radiology at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. He has been a medical informatician for ∼20 years and is an internationally known expert in the creation and evaluation of digital libraries. His current work can be seen at www.educationalinformatics.org