title: Applying team-based learning in primary care residency programs to increase patient alcohol screenings and brief interventions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Educational research demonstrates little evidence of long-term retention from traditional lectures in residency programs. Team-based learning (TBL), an alternative, active learning technique, incites competition and generates discussion. This report presents data evaluating the ability of TBL to reinforce and enhance concepts taught during initial training in a National Institutes of Health-funded alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) program conducted in eight residency programs from 2005 to 2007 under the auspices of Mercer University School of Medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  After initial training of three hours, the authors conducted three TBL booster sessions of one and a quarter hours, spaced four months apart at each site. They assessed feasibility through the amount of preparation time for faculty and staff, residents' evaluations of their training, self-reported use of SBI, residents' performance on individual quizzes compared with group quizzes, booster session evaluations, and levels of confidence in conducting SBI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After initial training and three TBL reinforcement sessions, 42 residents (63%) reported that they performed SBI and that their levels of confidence in performing interventions in their current and future practices was moderately high. Participants preferred TBL formats over lectures. Group performance was superior to individual performance on initial assessments. When invited to select a model for conducting SBI in current and future practices, all residents opted for procedures that included clinician involvement. Faculty found TBL to be efficient but labor-intensive for training large groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TBL was well received by residents and helped maintain a newly learned clinical skill. Future research should compare TBL to other learning methods.
authors.affiliation: Medical Center of Central Georgia & Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia 31206, USA. Shellenberger.Sylvia@mccg.org
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shellenberger
authors.forename: J Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Seale
authors.forename: Dona L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: J Aaron
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Carrie L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Dodrill
authors.forename: Mary M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Velasquez
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011320:Primary Health Care; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology