BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Noontime conferences are widely used in family practice residencies. This study determined the effectiveness of noontime conferences for increasing residents\u27 knowledge.
METHODS: Twenty residents were tested monthly over 6 months and then cumulatively on the content of noontime conferences.
RESULTS: Monthly test scores of attendees versus nonattendees were compared using a two-sample, two-tail t test. Results revealed the mean score of attendees for short-term knowledge to be 12.1 points higher than nonattendees. There was no correlation, however, between conference attendance and long-term knowledge retention.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a lack of correlation between noontime conference attendance and long-term cumulative test scores. The results question the value of noontime conferences as a teaching method
