The Current Medical Education System Is Broken

“I feel like every time I review or learn something new, I forget something else.”

~ 2nd-year Medical Student, University of Michigan Medical School

Throughout their careers, medical professionals are expected to master and retain massive quantities of vital medical information. This information is complex, essential, and often life-saving. However, rigorous studies show that this knowledge is rapidly forgotten, resulting in substandard patient care, professional dissatisfaction, and diminished performance on mandatory examinations. 1–5

Basic, Life-Saving Knowledge Is Routinely Forgotten

In a July 2009 study published in Resuscitation, researchers found that, out of 70 Johns Hopkins pediatrics residents:

  • 66% failed to start timely CPR (basic life support) even though 95% of the Residents had received this level of training.
  • Specifically, 83% made errors during defibrillation (shocking the patient) even though 80% had defibrillator training.

Their research also found that more years of training did not improve residents’ performance.

Even Experienced Specialists Are Not Immune

A June 1996 study published in the Journal of Trauma showed that the average score for the 60 practicing trauma physicians who took the standard Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course was 86%. However, six months later, these same physicians took the test again, and 50% of them failed.

Nearly 15 years after this study, there have been no novel approaches to learning and retaining medical knowledge...until now.

The Gunner Solution: Knowledge Retention »

  1. Zuger A. Dissatisfaction with Medical Practice. NEJM, 2004, Vol 350, No. 1.
  2. Hunt EA, et al. Survey of pediatric resident experiences with resuscitation training and attendance at actual cardiopulmonary arrests. Pediatr Crit Care Med, 2009, Vol 10, No. 1.
  3. Hunt EA, et al. Delays and errors in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation by pediatric residents during simulated cardiopulmonary arrests. Resuscitation, 2009, Vol 80, No. 7.
  4. Ali J, et al. Attrition of cognitive and trauma management skills after the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Course. J Trauma, 1996, Vol 40, No. 6.
  5. Hayes CW, Rhee A, Detsky ME, Leblanc VR, Wax RS. Residents feel unprepared and unsupervised as leaders of cardiac arrest teams in teaching hospitals: a survey of internal medicine residents. Crit Care Med, 2007 Jul;35(7):1668-72.
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