SURVEY OF MEDICAL TRAINEES

In summer 2012, the SIGN Healthcare Professionals in Training group ran a survey of all junior doctors in training across Scotland. The purpose was to seek the views of trainees about the level of awareness of SIGN and its products and give an opportunity to suggest new ways in which SIGN could support doctors in training. 226 doctors responded and the results are summarised below accompanied by some comments from SIGN.

QUESTION ONE - FAMILIARITY WITH SIGN

Q1a     Are you aware of SIGN?
Answer Options	Response Percent	Response Count
Yes	97.3%	213
No	2.7%	6
answered question		219
skipped question		7

Q1b     How do you know about SIGN? Select all that apply
Answer Options	Response Percent	Response Count
Mentioned at medical school	61.3%	133
Used Doctors Online Training System (DoTS) module on guidelines and audit	22.1%	48
Recommended by colleagues	52.5%	114
Presentation on SIGN guidelines	33.2%	72
Seen SIGN materials used in a clinical context	86.2%	187
Other	5.5%	12
Other (please specify)		11
answered question		217
skipped question		9

COMMENT FROM SIGN - We are reassured that the majority of responders were aware of SIGN before completing the survey. The results of these questions indicate that most trainees had seen SIGN guidelines used in a clinical context, which is their primary purpose. Other uses mentioned included involvement with research projects based on SIGN guidelines, use as revision aids and familiarity during work experience. 

QUESTION TWO - THE SIGN APP

Q2a     Do you have the SIGN app for iPhone or Android?
Answer Options	Response Percent	Response Count
Yes - iphone version	16.5%	37
Yes - Android version	2.7%	6
No	80.8%	181
answered question		224
skipped question		2

Q2b     How often do you access the app?  Please select one answer:
Answer Options	Response Percent	Response Count
Daily	0.0%	0
Twice weekly	3.8%	2
Weekly	7.5%	4
Fortnightly	5.7%	3
Monthly	32.1%	17
Less often	50.9%	27
answered question		53
skipped question		173

COMMENT FROM SIGN - The free SIGN app was developed to allow instant access to SIGN recommendations when referring to a full guideline is not practical or possible. Although it was the winner of the 2011 NHSScotland e-Health award and, by March 2013, has been downloaded XX,XXX times, the results of this question show that awareness of the app among trainees could be improved. SIGN will continue to work with NHS Education Scotland to promote its products to trainee audiences, and collaborate with universities to arrange opportunities to explain the materials available to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Our respondents asked for more guidelines to be included on the app, and we update the coverage of current SIGN guidelines on a regular basis

QUESTION THREE - AUDIT TOOLS

Q3a     Are you aware that the SIGN website provides audit tools accredited by NES for doctors in training (SIGN Audit Tools developed by Doctors and Dentists in Training)?
Answer Options	Response Percent	Response Count
Yes	25.8%	57
No	74.2%	164
answered question		221
skipped question		5

Q3b Have you downloaded an audit tool?
Answer Options	Response Percent	Response Count
Yes	11.0%	10
No	89.0%	81
answered question		91
skipped question		135

Q3c     Have you uploaded the results or your audit?
Answer Options	Response Percent	Response Count
Yes	2.6%	1
No - Audit tool not useful	5.1%	2
No - Completed audit, decided to keep in- house	17.9%	7
No - Completed audit, asked not to share data	2.6%	1
No - Did not complete audit	28.2%	11
No – Other	43.6%	17
Other (please specify)		1
answered question		39
skipped question		187

COMMENT FROM SIGN - The SIGN Healthcare Professionals in Training group has authored a number of simple audit tools based on key recommendations of published guidelines. These are intended for use by trainees and, once completed (a minimum of two completed audit cycles), if audit data is uploaded back to SIGN we issue a certificate of completion which can be included in training portfolios. To promote the use of audit tools, NHS Education for Scotland has made their evidence based medicine module (part of the Doctors Online Training System – DOTS) mandatory. This will increase the exposure of trainees to the suite of existing SIGN audit tools and encourage the development of new tools.

QUESTION FOUR - SUGGESTIONS

We asked respondents to suggest further ways in which SIGN could support trainees, and received almost a hundred responses which could be grouped into themes as follows: electronic alerts for new publications, raising awareness of SIGN products in trainees, providing more guidelines and audits on different topics.