In this randomized, controlled, nonblinded trial of RSS reader use by pediatrics residents, RSS reader use did not improve the depth of knowledge pertaining to primary literature articles. This study was deemed exempt from review by the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects Institutional Review Board at CHOP. Incentives ($5 and $10 gift cards) were offered for survey completion. An exit survey included qualitative questions about the satisfaction with RSS reader use, usability, desire to continue using RSS, and general feedback. For monthly survey questions, 6 original research articles were selected from Pediatrics. Monthly surveys contained questions about the frequency of reading primary literature, familiarity with recent publications, and familiarity validation with multiple-choice questions testing knowledge of recent articles (created by study designers). The baseline survey included participants reading of primary literature, familiarity with recent articles, familiarity validation, and current use of computers, RSS readers, and additional educational resources. Participants completed a baseline survey and 3 monthly surveys testing their familiarity with recent primary articles. We hypothesized that residents trained in RSS reader use would be more familiar with recent articles compared with a control group, as measured by survey responses. We conducted a pilot study to investigate whether training pediatrics residents in RSS reader use improved their familiarity with primary pediatric literature. 12, 13 We are unaware of any studies investigating the effect of RSS readers on resident education. The RSS feeds are used to make medical content more accessible 8 –, 11 and help medical professionals remain informed. 7 The RSS readers are accessible on all computers, smart phones, and tablets, bringing new content to the user in 1 clear interface (example reader: ), rather than users needing to visit numerous websites for information. One subscribes to an RSS feed by entering the website address into the reader, which regularly checks the user's subscribed feeds for new articles, downloads updates, and provides a user interface to monitor, read, and save feeds. The RSS readers are programs or web applications that aggregate RSS content-RSS “feeds”-in a single location for easy viewing. Publishers make online content available via a web technology known as RSS, or Really Simple Syndication. 5, 6 Information aggregation resources may help residents supplement core readings and improve familiarity of primary literature by making reading more efficient, information more accessible, and learning more organized. 2 –, 4 Residents use online resources to aid in the education process. 1 Residents cite lack of time, poor access to medical information, and lack of personal initiative as barriers to more extensive reading of original research. Using technology to locate and assimilate evidence may help optimize learning. Accessing and retaining the primary medical literature can be challenging for residents.
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