Program directors’ use and perceptions of the online STFM resource library: A cera report

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The online STFM Resource Library (RL) was launched in 2005 by STFM with a grant from the National Library of Medicine. This study was conducted to assess the RL usage patterns and RL-related perceptions of family medicine program directors (PDs) to guide potential process improvement. METHODS: Questions about the RL were included in a larger omnibus survey conducted by the CAFM Educational Research Alliance (CERA). The sampling frame for the survey was all US family medicine PDs as identified by the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 50.9% (224/440). A total of 170 (75.9%) had previously used the RL. PDs from university-affiliated programs were more likely to have used the RL (92.7% versus 73.7%). Forty percent of respondents reported the RL was easy to use, and 25.3% agreed that the RL is more valuable than other medical education web sites. Respondents who had been PD for less than 5 years reported a greater relative advantage of the RL (31.9% versus 17.9%). Women reported higher relative advantage for the RL than men (34.5% versus 20.5%). CONCLUSIONS: PDs who have used the site report relatively low satisfaction with its ease of use and relative value. Most do not consider it to be more useful than other medical education web sites. Women PDs rate the resource higher than men. The RL is a widely used resource that could be updated to make it easier to use and more valuable to family medicine educators.