Analysis of residents' performances on the In-Training Examination of the American Board of Anesthesiology-American Society of Anesthesiologists.

An analysis of the results of the In-Training Examination of the American Board of Anesthesiology-American Society of Anesthesiologists has been developed using a new question-categorization method and a new form of calculation, the resident index score. Resident index scores permit comparison of the performance of any program's residents with the performance of all U.S. residents who took the examination. This study analyzed examination results from eight residency programs for a five-year period, 1983-1987. Statistically significant differences in the residents' performances were found both within and among the residency programs during this time. Areas of educational strength and weakness were identified by levels of training for each program. The analyses of the individual programs' results were provided to the respective program directors on a confidential basis, and have been used to change curriculum content, modify lectures for residents, and provide structured review for residents. Similar analyses can be provided as a service to other residency program directors.