Women’s Health Web-based Tutorial Facilitator Guide

Resource Title: “Women’s Health Web-based Tutorial”

Resource Description:

Many organizations have called for development of innovative approaches to women’s health medical education and training. Computers offer the potential to overcome some barriers to providing women’s health education. The learning materials offered by this web-based tutorial can be accessed 24-hours per day at a time, pace, and location that is convenient to the learner without scheduling conflicts. This tutorial was designed to address the existing gaps inwomen’s health training. It provides modules in a variety of formats such as short written chapters, narrated power point lectures, and self-assessment quizzes that can be used by medical educators alone or as a supplement to a clinical rotation for primary care residents or medical students. This course is designed to teach participants about the primary care of women, with special attention to contraception, menopause, and preventive care.

This curriculum was implemented for use in the internal medicine residency program at West VirginiaUniversity in September 2006. The education program utilizes the web-based tutorial in conjunction with a clinical rotation with faculty associated with the institution’s Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. It enabled our internal medicine program to satisfy the mandatory requirement for women’s health training. Standard evaluations were completed by residents after completion of the rotation and the data from these evaluations will be analyzed to evaluate resident satisfaction. Pre- and post-tests were completed by residents and the data from these tests will be analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum on knowledge. An evaluation survey was developed and will be implemented to evaluate of the effectiveness of the program on resident skills and to get specific feedback on the different aspects of the program. Feedback from residents has been positive regarding the online tutorial and several residents have suggested that all clinical rotations should contain such components. We are confident that the materials in this tutorial would be appropriate for training family medicine residents and medical students as well as internal medicine residents.

This teaching format was very well-received by the residents and they would embrace more rotations including such web-based tutorials. This was the first time a computer format was used in the internal medicine residency program for a rotation at our institution. As a result of this project, many sections within the Department of Medicine are developing similar on-line courses and tutorials for use on their rotations. Communication with residents through the program director and chief resident is important in rolling out a project like this. An orientation session with learners at the beginning of the rotation enhanced understanding of the expectations.

Completion of the tutorial is self-explanatory with the contents of the tutorial listed below. The tutorial includes 14 content modules with various teaching formats and 2 self-assessment quizzes. A links document is also included which provides links for more information. Each module has individual educational objectives and the overall objectives can be found in the course syllabus. The time to complete each module varies from approximately 10 minutes (quizzes and short readings) to 45 minutes (narrated power points).
Resource Contents:

I. Syllabus

II. Faculty

  • Laura Davisson, MD, MPH*
  • Michelle Nuss, MD
  • Christine Bruno, MD
  • Mary Ann Long, MD
  • MaryWarden, MD
  • Shanthi Manivannan, MD
  • Geetha Kamath, MD
  • Stanley Zaslau, MD, MBA
  • Mark Poling, MD

*Please direct any correspondence to Dr. Laura Davisson.

III. Content Modules (14) and teaching format of each

  • Breast disorders: Reading
  • Cardiovascular disease in women: Reading
  • Contraception: Narrated power point lecture
  • Eating Disorders: Reading
  • Female Urologic Disorders (3 parts):
  • Female Sexual Dysfunction: Power point slides
  • Interstitial cystitis: Power point slides
  • Incontinence: Narrated power point lecture
  • Menopause: Reading and narrated power point lecture
  • Menstrual disorders: Power point slides
  • Osteoporosis: Power point slides
  • Pap smears: Narrated power point lecture; for more info, see link to ASCCP consensus guidelines and algorithms
  • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Reading
  • Vaginitis: Reading
  • Women's Cancer Screening: Reading
  • Women's Disease Prevention: Reading; for more info, see links to CDC, AHRQ’s USPSTF, and HHS Office of the Surgeon General
  • Women's Health Trials: Reading

IV. Self-study Quizzes (2)

  • Differences and disparities
  • Medication safety in pregnancy

V. Web links (4)

  • AHRQ’s USPSTF
  • CDC
  • HHS Office of the Surgeon General
  • ASCCP Guidelines and Algorithms