Abstract
ObjectiveTo practice evidence-based medicine, clinicians must be competent in information literacy (IL). Few studies acknowledge the critical role that reading strategies play in IL instruction and assessment of health professional students. The purpose of this study was to understand the information-seeking and evaluation behaviors of doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) students in regard to scientific papers.MethodsThe authors studied DVM student behaviors across eight programs in North America using a web-based survey of closed- and open-ended questions about finding and evaluating scientific papers, including a task to read a linked scientific paper and answer questions about it.ResultsA total of 226 individuals responded to the survey. The sections of a scientific paper that were most commonly read were the abstract, introduction, and conclusions. Students who reported reading a higher proportion of scientific papers were more likely to feel confident in their abilities to interpret them. A third of respondents answered open-ended questions after the paper reading task. Respondents felt the least amount of confidence with one of the final steps of evidence-based medicine, that of interpreting the significance of the paper to apply it in veterinary medicine.ConclusionsDVM students may lack the skills needed to evaluate scientific literature and need more practice and feedback in evaluating and interpreting scientific papers. Librarians who support DVM students can (1) help DVM students to efficiently evaluate scientific literature, (2) seek training opportunities in alternative modes of teaching and learning IL skills, and (3) partner with veterinary faculty and clinicians to provide students with practice and feedback in information evaluation.
Highlights
Like all health professionals, veterinarians are encouraged to practice evidence-based medicine throughout their careers, which means they need to apply the best available evidence to support their decision making
We analyzed responses to two of these “Why?” questions in part 1, which followed the survey questions: (Q15) “I find reading scientific papers very easy” (Q16 “Why?”, n=128) and (Q17) “I feel confident about my ability to interpret data from scientific papers” (Q18 “Why?”, n=95)
This study provides baseline information on the information-seeking and information-evaluation behaviors of doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) students across various curricula in North America
Summary
Veterinarians are encouraged to practice evidence-based medicine throughout their careers, which means they need to apply the best available evidence to support their decision making. Information literacy (IL) is defined as having the ability to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” [1] These are all skills that are essential for veterinarians to practice effective evidence-based medicine, and IL is an acknowledged essential skill for health professionals. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), which accredits DVM programs, requires each program to “demonstrate, using its outcomes assessment data, that students are competent in retrieving, evaluating and efficiently applying information through the use of electronic and other appropriate information technologies” [2].
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