Assessing the Impact of the Otolaryngology Core Curriculum (OCC): A Pre- and Post-Implementation Analysis

Introduction: Effective didactic education in otolaryngology residency programs is critical for knowledge acquisition. This study evaluated resident and faculty perceptions before and after OCC implementation.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted over two years (2023–2025) at a single training program. Anonymous pre- and post-OCC surveys with Likert-type items were distributed to otolaryngology residents and faculty. Resident surveys assessed weekly didactics preparation time, confidence in otolaryngology knowledge, curriculum effectiveness, comfort identifying educational resources, and perceived exam preparedness. Faculty surveys assessed preparation time, and resident knowledge and engagement. Paired t-tests, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for analysis.

Results: 24 and 19 residents completed the pre- and post-implementation survey, respectively. Weekly resident didactics preparation time increased from 16.3 ± 19.4 minutes to 83.9 ± 49.0 minutes (p < 0.00001). Resident confidence in knowledge improved (p = 0.015) with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.85; 95% CI [0.07, 1.62]). Perceived didactics effectiveness improved (p = 0.022) with a moderate-to-large effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.79; 95% CI [0.01, 1.55]). Comfort identifying educational resources (p=0.08) and perceived examination preparedness (p=0.15) improved, non-significantly. Faculty preparation time decreased non-significantly from 105.0 ± 33.7 minutes to 90.0 ± 39.7 minutes (p = 0.35). Faculty-reported resident knowledge improved (p = 0.011) with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = -1.44; 95% CI [-2.42, -0.43]). Faculty perception of resident engagement improved but non-significantly (p = 0.22).

Conclusions: OCC implementation was associated with a significant increase in resident didactics preparation time, a substantial improvement in resident perceived knowledge and faculty perception of resident knowledge, and increased didactics effectiveness.