TY  - JOUR
AU  - El Shatanofy, Muhammad
AU  - Brown, Lauryn
AU  - Berger, Peter
AU  - Gu, Alex
AU  - Sharma, Abhinav K
AU  - Campbell, Joshua
AU  - Tabaie, Sean
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/9/10
TI  - Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program Website Content and Accessibility During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Observational Study
JO  - JMIR Med Educ
SP  - e30821
VL  - 7
IS  - 3
KW  - orthopedic surgery residency programs
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - website
KW  - residency applicants
KW  - residency
KW  - medical student
KW  - content
KW  - accessibility
KW  - observational
KW  - surgery
AB  - Background: The exceptional competitiveness of the orthopedic surgery specialty, combined with the unclear impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on residency recruitment, has presented significant challenges to applicants and residency program directors. With limited in-person opportunities in the 2020-2021 application cycle, applicants have been pressed to gauge chances and best fit by browsing program websites. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the accessibility and content of accredited orthopedic surgery residency program websites during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Using the online database of the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), we compiled a list of accredited orthopedic surgery residency programs in the United States. Program websites were evaluated across four domains: program overview, education, research opportunities, and application details. Each website was assessed twice in July 2020, during a period of adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic, and twice in November 2020, following the October ERAS application deadline. Results: A total of 189 accredited orthopedic surgery residency programs were identified through ERAS. Of these programs, 3 (1.6%) did not have functional website links on ERAS. Data analysis of content in each domain revealed that most websites included program details, a description of the didactic curriculum, and sample rotation schedules. Between the two evaluation periods in July and November 2020, the percentage of program websites containing informative videos and virtual tours rose from 12.2% (23/189) to 48.1% (91/189; P<.001) and from 0.5% (1/189) to 13.2% (25/189; P<.001), respectively. However, the number of programs that included information about a virtual subinternship or virtual interview on their websites did not change. Over the 4-month period, larger residency programs with 5 or more residents were significantly more likely to add a program video (P<.001) or virtual tour (P<.001) to their websites. Conclusions: Most residency program websites offered program details and an overview of educational and research opportunities; however, few addressed the virtual transition of interviews and subinternships during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
SN  - 2369-3762
UR  - https://mededu.jmir.org/2021/3/e30821
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/30821
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34449406
DO  - 10.2196/30821
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/30821
ER  -