Working with patients with alcohol problems: a controlled trial of the impact of a rich media web module on medical student performance.

Introduction/aims: We designed an interactive web module to improve medical student competence in screening and interventions for hazardous drinking. We assessed its impact on performance with a standardized patient (SP) vs. traditional lecture.

Setting: First year medical school curriculum.

Program Description: The web module included pre/posttests, Flash(c), and text didactics. It centered on videos of two alcohol cases, each contrasting a novice with an experienced physician interviewer. The learner free-text critiqued each clip then reviewed expert analysis.

Program Evaluation: First year medical students conveniently assigned to voluntarily complete a web module (N = 82) or lecture (N = 81) were rated by a SP in a later alcohol case. Participation trended higher (82% vs. 72%, p < .07) among web students, with an additional 4 lecture-assigned students crossing to the web module. The web group had higher mean scores on scales of individual components of brief intervention (assessment and decisional balance) and a brief intervention composite score (1-13 pt.; 9 vs. 7.8, p < .02) and self-reported as better prepared for the SP case.

Conclusions: A web module for alcohol use interview skills reached a greater proportion of voluntary learners and was associated with equivalent overall performance scores and higher brief intervention skills scores on a standardized patient encounter.