Abstract
BackgroundBasic skills in evidence-based medicine (EbM) are indispensable for healthcare professionals to promote consumer-centred, evidence-based treatment. EbM training courses are complex interventions – a fact that has not been methodologically reflected by previous systematic reviews.This review evaluates the effects of EbM training for healthcare professionals as well as the quality of reporting of such training interventions.MethodsWe searched PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, ERIC, Campbell Library and PsycINFO up to 9/2014. Randomised controlled trials, controlled clinical trials as well as before-after trials were included. Authors were contacted in order to obtain missing data. Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed risk of bias.ResultsWe reviewed 14.507 articles; n = 61 appeared potentially eligible; n = 13 involving 1,120 participants were included. EbM training shows some impact on knowledge and skills, whereas the impact on practical EbM application remains unclear. Risk of bias of included trials raises uncertainty about the effects. Description of complex interventions was poor.ConclusionsEbM training has some positive effects on knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals. Appropriate methods for development, piloting, evaluation, reporting and implementation of the training should be applied.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12909-016-0616-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Basic skills in evidence-based medicine (EbM) are indispensable for healthcare professionals to promote consumer-centred, evidence-based treatment
Types of interventions This review focuses on educational interventions aimed at improving EbM knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour in healthcare professionals
Data extraction and management Based upon CReDECI [23] and the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement [24], we developed a standardized data extraction form that included information on the development, evaluation and implementation of complex interventions:
Summary
Basic skills in evidence-based medicine (EbM) are indispensable for healthcare professionals to promote consumer-centred, evidence-based treatment. EbM training courses are complex interventions – a fact that has not been methodologically reflected by previous systematic reviews. This review evaluates the effects of EbM training for healthcare professionals as well as the quality of reporting of such training interventions. Evidence-based medicine (EbM) is a prerequisite for decision-making in healthcare. Healthcare institutes follow the principles of EbM when reviewing and assessing the evidence for healthcare decision-making [1, 2]. The paradigm shift towards EbM challenges the methodological skills and attitude of healthcare professionals. A consumer-centred, evidencebased treatment requires basic EbM skills and scientific literacy [3, 4].
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