The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of an Acute Otitis Media Education Website

OBJECTIVE: To develop, implement, and evaluate an acute otitis media (AOM) education website for clinician-educators.METHODS: We developed an education website following Kern's curriculum model.RESULTS: The website contained peer-reviewed content, educa-tional objectives, library search pages to identify evidence-based resources, and a faculty toolbox with instructional and evaluation instruments. Pediatric clinician-educators were purposefully sampled from different clinic sites to evaluate the website. Semi-structured interviews explored key website components for con -tent and usability in clinical teaching. In grounded theory tradition, investigators used the constant comparative method with qualitative analysis software to identify themes and repre-sentative quotations. Eleven faculty members (9 females and 2 males with teaching experience from 6 to 26 years) participated in the study. Identified themes were: 1) value of visual impact for learning specific topics, 2) promotion of efficiency in teaching clinical topics, 3) varying approaches for using website, and 4) faculty's self-report of knowledge and self-efficacy needs.CONCLUSIONS: An education website may enhance the teach-ing of AOM, accommodate different teaching preferences, promote efficiency in teaching, and advance clinician-educator knowledge and skills. Next steps include evaluation of learners' perspectives, generalizability in varied teaching settings, and assessment of higher learning outcomes including impact on knowledge, skills, and patient outcomes.