Weekly reading assignments and examinations result in sustained improvement in American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) scores.

The American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) score is used by general surgery training programs as a measure of the medical knowledge component of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education competencies. Poor performance on ABSITE (< 35%) has correlated with high failure rates on the American Board of Surgery Qualifying Examination. We previously demonstrated an improvement in ABSITE scores over a 1-year period through the initiation of weekly reading assignments and review examinations. We sought to determine whether this educational endeavor would result in a sustained improvement in ABSITE scores over several years. ABSITE scores from two successive, 3-year time periods (1999-2001, Group 1, 2002-2004, Group 2), were compared. For Group 1, no formal reading assignments or preparatory exams were given. For Group 2, weekly reading assignments and examinations were administered by the faculty. For Group 1, the mean ABSITE score was 60 per cent, versus 75 per cent (P < 0.01) for Group 2. In Group 1, 13 out of 76 scores (17%) were below 35 per cent, whereas in Group 2, only 4 out of 74 scores (5%) were below 35 per cent (P = 0.03). Sustained improvement in ABSITE scores and fewer scores < 35 per cent were achieved over a 3-year period with an educational program of weekly topic-specific reading assignments and written review examinations.