Integrating an evidence-based medicine curriculum into physician assistant education: Teaching skills for lifelong decision-making!

Abstract

Background: Medical knowledge continuously evolves and to help health care providers to stay up to date, the evidence-based medicine (EBM) model has emerged. The practice of EBM requires new skills of the health care provider, including directed literature searches, the critical evaluation of research studies and the direct application of the findings to patient care. Methods: This paper describes the integration and evaluation of an evidence-based medicine course sequence into a Physician Assistant curriculum utilizing the expertise from faculty trained in basic science, nursing and primary care practice. Results: Collaboration of faculty with different educational backgrounds resulted in a course series that was equally strong in all aspects of EBM. This new course sequence teaches students to manage and use the best clinical research evidence to competently practice medicine. To assess the effectiveness of the EBM sequence a survey was developed and administered at the beginning and end of the sequence. Conclusion: EBM knowledge gained is essential to effective clinical decision making and this newly developed tool specifically helps to identify student competencies within the defined course objectives. Contributing to the uniqueness of the tool are case-based questions requiring integration of EBM knowledge by the student.