Background: It is important to investigate remote- learning options for medical education. We evaluated retention of research-related knowledge after exposure to pre-recorded audio-based didactics (AUDIO) versus video conference-based didactics (ZOOM).
Methods: Obstetrics and Gynecology residents over the 2020-2021 academic year were randomized to didactics delivered in AUDIO versus ZOOM formats. At baseline, immediately post-exposure, and 3-month post-exposure, objective knowledge was assessed through 15 multiple choice questions. Confidence and satisfaction were assessed on a 5-point Likert scale. Median differences and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were applied to identify a 10% non-inferiority margin.
Results: Thirty of thirty-one (30/31, 96.8%) eligible residents participated. At 3-month post-exposure, AUDIO was non-inferior to ZOOM (6.3% mean difference in knowledge scores, 95% CI -3.5-16.2). There were no differences in satisfaction or confidence, though a greater proportion of AUDIO participants indicated they would use a similar resource independently (p=0.008).
Conclusion: AUDIO didactics may be non-inferior to ZOOM.
Keywords: ZOOM; comparative effectiveness in medical educatio; postgraduate medical education; remote learning.