Abstract
BackgroundTo evaluate the effect of the integration of evidence-based medicine (EBM) into medical curriculum by measuring undergraduate medical students’ EBM knowledge, attitudes, personal application, and anticipated future use.MethodsA self-controlled trial was conducted with 251 undergraduate students at a Chinese Military Medical University, using a validated questionnaire regarding the students’ evidence-based practice (EBP) about knowledge (EBP-K), attitude (EBP-A), personal application (EBP-P), and future anticipated use (EBP-F). The educational intervention was a 20-hour EBM course formally included in the university’s medical curriculum, combining lectures with small group discussion and student-teacher exchange sessions. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests to test the significance of the difference between a before and after comparison.ResultsThe difference between the pre- and post-training scores were statistically significant for EBP-K, EBP-A, EBP-P, and EBP-F. The scores for EBP-P showed the most pronounced percentage change after EBM training (48.97 ± 8.6%), followed by EBP-A (20.83 ± 2.1%), EBP-K (19.21 ± 3.2%), and EBP-F (17.82 ± 5.7%). Stratified analyses by gender, and program subtypes did not result in any significant changes to the results.ConclusionsThe integration of EBM into the medical curriculum improved undergraduate medical students’ EBM knowledge, attitudes, personal application, and anticipated future use. A well-designed EBM training course and objective outcome measurements are necessary to ensure the optimum learning opportunity for students.
Highlights
To evaluate the effect of the integration of evidence-based medicine (EBM) into medical curriculum by measuring undergraduate medical students’ EBM knowledge, attitudes, personal application, and anticipated future use
The acquisition of EBM knowledge and skills is becoming recognized as a core competency that must be acquired by all doctors and medical students
The decreased score for evidence-based practice (EBP)-A represents an improvement in the attitude towards EBM
Summary
To evaluate the effect of the integration of evidence-based medicine (EBM) into medical curriculum by measuring undergraduate medical students’ EBM knowledge, attitudes, personal application, and anticipated future use. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) encourages the assimilation and implementation of the conscientious, explicit, and judicious usage of currently best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients [1]. Medical decisions should be based on the best available evidence. EBM is recognized today as a practice that should be learned and applied by all physicians, epidemiologists, and medical administrators worldwide. The acquisition of EBM knowledge and skills is becoming recognized as a core competency that must be acquired by all doctors and medical students. An increasing emphasis on training in EBM skills in undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing medical education programs is becoming more widespread, and implemented, for example via traditional lectures, journal clubs, seminars, and e-learning classes [4-9]
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