Toward a wiki guide for obstetrics and gynecology trainees in Ireland

Abstract

Background: The present paper describes the implementation of a novel, web-based, comprehensive national information hub for trainees in obstetrics and gynecology in Ireland. This was a unique development in the context of an entire medical specialty and was aligned with the communication strategy of the governing professional body. To date, trainee doctors working in Ireland undergo an incoherent and inconsistent new-staff induction and handover. In the healthcare setting, staff integration can have a major impact on the quality of patient care.

Methods: A free wiki software platform (PBworks) was used for the website, and freely available software (Google Analytics) was used to determine user interaction and level of engagement.

Results: In the first year, 442 user visits were recorded. The average duration of site visits was 4 minutes 39 seconds, which compared favorably with the 4-minute duration for visits to Wikipedia.

Conclusion: The project was successful as a proof concept and in practice. Other medical faculties have expressed an interest in adopting the concept and developing it for their trainees. The concept is widely applicable to other countries, with the negligible cost relevant to resource-poor areas.