Evaluating Acquisition of Knowledge about Infertility Using a Whiteboard Video.

OBJECTIVE

Myths about fertility are commonplace in society. Few studies have investigated educational approaches to bridge gaps in knowledge among consumers. We evaluated the effectiveness of an animated, 15-minute whiteboard video to effect change in knowledge about infertility.

METHODS

We recruited medical students in their first or second year of training for participation. The students completed the study before their formal lectures on infertility issues. Participants completed questionnaires assessing infertility knowledge immediately before and one week after watching the educational video. Before and after scores (maximum = 50 points) were compared using paired t tests.

RESULTS

The study cohort included 101 medical students; 69% (70/101) were female and 31% (31/101) were male. Overall, students increased their score by 4.0/50 (95% CI 3.2 to 4.8, P < 0.001) from 36.5/50 to 40.5/50. Female students improved slightly more in their responses than did male students (mean improvement 4.7/50 vs. 2.5/50).

CONCLUSION

A whiteboard video presentation on infertility resulted in short-term improvement in medical students' knowledge of basic reproductive biology, infertility risk factors, treatments, and common myths associated with infertility.