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Review
. 2021 Jul 15;22(4):937-942.
doi: 10.5811/westjem.2021.4.50135.

Descriptive Analysis of Components of Emergency Medicine Residency Program Websites

Jordan R Pollock  1 , Jeffery A Weyand  2 , Amy B Reyes  3 , Shiva Senemar  3 , Aunika L Swenson  4 , Rachel A Lindor  5 , James L Homme  6
Affiliations
Review

Descriptive Analysis of Components of Emergency Medicine Residency Program Websites

Jordan R Pollock et al. West J Emerg Med. .

Abstract

Introduction: Most emergency medicine (EM) applicants use the internet as a source of information when evaluating residency programs. Previous studies have analyzed the components of residency program websites; however, there is a paucity of information regarding EM program websites. The purpose of our study was to analyze information on EM residency program websites.

Methods: In April-May 2020, we evaluated 249 United States EM residency program websites for presence or absence of 38 items relevant to EM applicants. Descriptive statistics were performed, including means and standard deviations.

Results: Of the 249 EM websites evaluated, the websites contained a mean of 20 of 38 items (53%). Only 16 programs (6%) contained at least three-quarters of the items of interest, and no programs contained all 38 items. The general categories with the least amount of items were social media use (9%), research (46%), and lifestyle (49%), compared to the other general categories such as application process (58%), resident information (63%), general program information (67%), and facility information (69%). The items provided by programs most often included program description (98%), blocks and rotations (91%), and faculty listing (88%). The items provided least often included housing/neighborhood information (17%) and social media links (19%).

Conclusion: Our comprehensive review of EM residency websites in the US revealed the absence of many variables on most programs' websites. Use of this information to enhance accessibility of desired information stands to benefit both applicants and programs in the increasingly competitive specialty of EM.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. No author has professional or financial relationships with any companies that are relevant to this study. There are no conflicts of interest or sources of funding to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Social media presence of emergency medicine residency programs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Content available on emergency medicine residency websites.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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