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. 2023 Feb 24;15(2):e35408.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.35408. eCollection 2023 Feb.

Evaluation of Online Critical Care Fellowship Programs

Thai T Donenfeld  1 , Arjun Basnet  1 , Britney M Clemen  1 , Supraja Achuthanandan  1 , Tiffany Lu  1 , Amit Dhaliwal  1 , Nancy Bzadough  2 , Manroop K Gill  1 , Aftab Vadsaria  1 , Jude Tabba  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of Online Critical Care Fellowship Programs

Thai T Donenfeld et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background The objective of this study was to assess the accessibility and content of the critical care fellowship websites provided on the Electronic Residency Application Services (ERAS) website. Methods Using the online information provided by ERAS, we compiled a list of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited critical care fellowship programs. Each of the links provided by ERAS was evaluated by a standard search on Google as follows: the program name + "critical care fellowship". After assembling the working links, those websites were subsequently evaluated based on the program description, application process, and educational content. Results We reviewed 59 critical care fellowship programs that were obtained from ERAS. Of the 59 programs, one retracted its participation and was not included in the study, and six other programs were excluded due to repeated links on ERAS, nonworking links, and websites without any content. We analyzed the data collected from the remaining 52 programs. Our data shows a general lack of information being provided to prospective critical care candidates. Conclusions ERAS is a major source of information for prospective fellows looking for critical care fellowships in the current match. Unfortunately, the majority of the programs evaluated lack substantial information for prospective candidates. Despite many websites containing adequate information regarding program descriptions, there was a lack of information regarding the application process and educational activities.

Keywords: critical care and hospital medicine; fellowship content; online presence; quality indicator; website content; website evaluation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Program Description
Program information availability on critical care program websites
Figure 2
Figure 2. Educational Activities
Education activities available on critical care program websites
Figure 3
Figure 3. Application Information
Application information available on critical care program websites
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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