Scientific Programme & Abstracts from the International Meeting in Pediatric Endocrinology (IMPE)
IMPE Abstracts (2023) 96 P51

IMPE2023 Poster Presentations Diabetes and Insulin (16 abstracts)

An Interactive E-Book Resource About Inpatient Pediatrics Diabetes Management for Medical Learners: Preliminary Results of a Pilot Study

Alexander Tuttle , MD 1 , Linder Wendt , MS 2 , Katherine Schultz , MD & MEd 3


1University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology, Iowa City, USA. 2University of Iowa Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, Iowa City, USA. 3University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Iowa City, USA


Objective: To understand how integration of an interactive eBook resource impacts inpatient diabetes education at an academic medical center.

Purpose: Up to 20% of diabetes-related errors in pediatric inpatient settings occur among medical trainees, largely because current educational strategies are variable and limited. In response, we created a novel interactive eBook resource about inpatient diabetes management using Kern’s six steps for curriculum development to capitalize on blended and distance learning. We hypothesize that access to the eBook will increase knowledge acquisition and self-reported learner confidence in inpatient diabetes management.

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, controlled, single-institution pilot study conducted March – October 2022. Participants included medical students, years 2-4, and residents, years 1-3, participating in 2-4 week-long blocks of the institution’s current diabetes education model (control group, CG) against learners who received the same model plus access to the eBook resource (intervention group, IG). All learners completed an internally vetted pre- and post-study knowledge assessment with 25 mixed-item questions. They also completed a retrospective pre/post-self-reported confidence survey based on a 4-point Likert scale. IG participants additionally completed a survey on potential barriers to eBook use. Wilcoxon Rank Sum and Fisher’s exact tests were applied for statistical analysis, with a p-value <0.05, indicating significance.

Results: 55 total learners participated in the study, with 29 (53%) in the CG and 26 (47%) in the IG. CG and IG had no significant differences in learner demographics. CG and IG both demonstrated some improvement from pre- to post-knowledge assessment scores, but there was no significant difference between the groups. Both CG and IG demonstrated significant improvement in self-reported confidence over time (P<0.0001), but this was not significant between groups. 19/26 (73%) IG participants completed the eBook evaluation survey, and only 6/19 (32%) reported using the eBook. Barriers to eBook use included: insufficient time, lack of immediate need, low priority for use in a busy/high-stress environment, use of other resources, and trouble with access.

Conclusions: Initial introduction of an eBook resource to our current model of diabetes education did not lead to significant changes in knowledge acquisition or self-reported confidence related to inpatient pediatric diabetes mellitus management. However, significant barriers to eBook use were identified. Some of these fit with existing known limitations to e-learning, including challenges with accessibility and restrictions on learners’ time. Next steps include in-depth qualitative analyses to better understand ways to mitigate some of these barriers.

Volume 96

IMPE 2023

Buenos Aires, Argentina
04 Mar 2023 - 07 Mar 2023

International Meeting in Pediatric Endocrinology 

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