Chen Vivi W, Hoang Don, Garner Warren
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California; Los Angeles, Calif.
Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2018 Oct 2;6(10):e1900. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000001900. eCollection 2018 Oct.
Plastic surgery residency program websites (PSRWs) remain a major resource for applicants to one of the most competitive specialties in medicine, yet it is unclear how the website content aligns with information applicants need.
To evaluate PSRWs and whether they are meeting applicant needs.
An anonymous online survey of 2016 plastic and reconstructive surgery applicants evaluated the use of PSRWs and information desired. Two researchers then independently analyzed all 93 PSRWs in the United States to determine whether the websites met the needs of applicants based on a quantitative scoring system.
Out of 369 total applicants to plastic surgery, the survey was sent to the 189 applicants to University of Southern California, and 87 responded (46% response rate). Ninety-eight percentage of respondents used websites during the application process. For 31%, websites served as the only source of information. Websites were moderately (60%) and only slightly useful (32%). For 22% and 34%, the quality of a website influenced their decision to apply or interview, respectively. Out of the 22 common components between the applicant survey and scoring assessment of websites, there was a significant difference in 17 components (77%) between those rated as "important" by applicants and availability of the corresponding component on websites ( < 0.05). Average (SD) score among websites was 18.7 (5.3) out of 49 maximum points (36.9%). Over 30% of websites displayed broken links or missing or outdated information. Only 19.6% displayed a link to provide website feedback.
PSRWs commonly include pertinent information that is useful; however, most are lacking components valued by applicants. These findings can help guide the design, content, and improvement of PSRWs to be quality resources for applicants.
整形外科住院医师培训项目网站（PSRWs）仍然是医学领域竞争最激烈的专业之一的申请者的主要资源，但尚不清楚网站内容与申请者所需信息的匹配程度。
评估PSRWs以及它们是否满足申请者的需求。
对2016名整形外科和重建外科申请者进行匿名在线调查，评估PSRWs的使用情况和所需信息。然后，两名研究人员独立分析了美国所有93个PSRWs，以根据定量评分系统确定这些网站是否满足申请者的需求。
在总共369名整形外科申请者中，调查发送给了南加州大学的189名申请者，87人回复（回复率46%）。98%的受访者在申请过程中使用了网站。对于31%的人来说，网站是唯一的信息来源。网站的有用程度为中等（60%）和仅有一点用处（32%）。对于22%和34%的人来说，网站质量分别影响了他们申请或参加面试的决定。在申请者调查和网站评分评估的22个共同要素中，申请者评为“重要”的要素与网站上相应要素的可用性之间，有17个要素（77%）存在显著差异（P<0.05）。网站的平均（标准差）得分为49分满分中的18.7分（5.3分）（36.9%）。超过30%的网站显示有断链或信息缺失或过时的情况。只有19.6%的网站显示了提供网站反馈的链接。
PSRWs通常包含有用的相关信息；然而，大多数网站缺少申请者重视的要素。这些发现有助于指导PSRWs的设计、内容和改进，使其成为申请者的优质资源。
