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

Up to 20% of pediatric inpatient diabetes-related errors occur among medical trainees, largely because current educational strategies are variable and limited. In response, we utilized Kern’s six steps to create a novel interactive eBook resource about inpatient diabetes management, capitalizing 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.

Objective: To assess the impact of integrating an interactive eBook resource about inpatient diabetes education on knowledge acquisition and self-reported learner confidence.

Design/Methods: We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled, single-institution pilot study from March – October 2022. Participants included medical students in their clinical years and pediatric residents. All participants either received the current diabetes education model (control group, CG) or the same model plus access to the eBook resource (intervention group, IG). All learners completed an internally vetted pre/post-study knowledge assessment and a retrospective pre/post-self-reported confidence survey. IG participants also completed a survey on potential barriers to eBook use.

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 in pre/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, but 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.

Conclusion(s): 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 use of distance learning, including challenges with accessibility and restrictions on learners’ time. Next steps include in-depth qualitative analyses to understand better ways to mitigate some of these barriers.