i3 Health’s Survey of Urologists Reveals Key Insights Into Learning Preferences
A survey conducted by i3 Health at the Society of Government Service Urologists (SGSU) Kimbrough Urological Seminar, held from January 18 to 22, 2023, in Tucson, Arizona, has provided valuable insights into urologists' preferred formats and desired topics of continuing medical education (CME) activities, as well as the most important factors they consider when choosing such activities. Additionally, survey participants were asked an additional set of questions regarding their confidence and comfortability when treating LGBTQ+ patients and their desire for further education in this area.
Throughout the seminar, a total of 16 attendees participated in the survey, all of whom were urology physicians or resident physicians. Approximately 63% of respondents practiced in the academic setting, and 25% practiced in the community setting.
When asked about their preferred formats for receiving continuing medical education, the majority of respondents selected either podcasts (56%), local-in person meetings (56%), or national in-person conferences (56%), followed by live online webinars (50%), mobile apps (38%), enduring online videos (31%), local virtual meetings (25%), and national virtual conferences (25%).
Preferred educational topics included updates on recent guideline changes (94%), general urology knowledge (81%), clinical trial data for new and emerging therapies (75%), updates on use of new procedures in the field (75%), updates on recent strategies for management of adverse events with new and emerging therapies (50%), practice management skills, including burnout prevention and journal editing (31%), general oncology knowledge (25%), and general medical knowledge (13%).
Regarding the most important factors they consider in selecting education, most respondents reported a goal of filling gaps in knowledge (81%), followed by interacting with peers and experts (69%), quality of content (63%), convenience (44%), cost (19%), and fulfilling requirement (19%).
Additionally, participants were surveyed regarding their confidence in meeting the health needs of their LGBTQ+ patients. Only 6% of respondents felt very confident in this area; 56% felt moderately confident, 25% were slightly confident, and 6% were not confident at all. Approximately 40% of respondents reported that they would like to receive education regarding the health needs of LGBTQ+ patients to enhance their practice, indicating a valuable domain for future educational activities.
