Evidence-based medicine (EBM) for undergraduate medical students in Sudan: sources of information, knowledge about terms, skills related to EBM and attitude toward EBM in Sudan

Abstract Background Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the use of the current best evidence for patient care. Medical students should critically appraise the research evidence to help them during their clinical practice in the future. We conducted this study to assess the skills, terms and attitude toward EBM. Method We conducted a cross-sectional study for medical students from governmental universities. Students completed an online validated questionnaire consisting of several sections to assess skills, attitude and knowledge about terms related to EBM. We used a scale ranging from 1(strongly disagree) to 5(strongly agree) for the 11 questions assessing the attitude and a scale ranging from 1(Poor) to 5(advanced) for EBM skills. Results A total of 761 medical students with a mean age of 21.97 ± 1.64 participated in the study. 327 (43 %) of them were males. The most commonly used search engines were Google 690 (91 %) and Wikipedia 465 (61 %). Medical books 719 (94 %) and lecture notes 353 (46 %) were the most common sources for health information. The majority of students rated their skills related to EBM as average and below average for all questions (overall = 2.18 ± 0.8). Students rated their skills as poor (31 %) in locating professional literature, as average (34 %) in searching online databases, poor (42 %) in critical appraisal of a scientific publication reporting findings from clinical research and poor (36 %) in Critical appraisal of available scientific literature. Regarding attitude, the overall mean score was 2.83 ± 0.76. There is no significant difference in attitude score between students with or without EBM training (P = 0.2). The terms with the highest understanding were case-control study (45 %) and case report (44 %) for study design. Median (44 %) and sample size (43 %) for statistics. Incidence (46 %) and prevalence (44 %) for epidemiology. Conclusions Medical students have a knowledge gap in skills and terms related to EBM and an average attitude towards EBM. The majority of them were using a nonscientific search engine to obtain medical information. There is a need to educate students about the proper steps for getting the scientific literature and EBM skills.

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Assessing the FACTTS: An Evidence-Based Medicine and Critical Appraisal Course for Medical Students

Medical Reference Services Quarterly ◽

10.1080/02763869.2013.776907 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 209-218 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

John W. W. Cyrus ◽

David C. Duggar ◽

Deidra Woodson ◽

Donna F. Timm ◽

Jerry W. McLarty ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Evidence Based Medicine ◽

Critical Appraisal ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Based Medicine

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Brazilian version of the Fresno test of competence in Evidence-Based Medicine: a validation study

Scientia Medica ◽

10.15448/1980-6108.2019.1.32295 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 32295

Author(s):

Margareth Rodrigues Salerno ◽

Fábio Herrmann ◽

Leticia Manoel Debon ◽

Matheus Dorigatti Soldatelli ◽

Gabriele Carra Forte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Internal Consistency ◽

Validation Study ◽

Evidence Based Medicine ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Fresno Test ◽

Brazilian Version ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Based Medicine

AIMS: To validate the Brazilian version of the Fresno test of competence in Evidence-Based Medicine.METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, validation study. Phase 1: translation of the Fresno instrument. Phase 2: validation of the translated version, which was tested in 70 undergraduate medical students. The psychometric properties evaluated were validity, internal consistency, and sensitivity to change.RESULTS: Overall, validity was adequate; most items showed a moderate to strong and significant correlation with the total score; there was an important and significant difference between both groups, with and without previous contact with Evidence-Based Medicine (median, 55 [IQ25-75, 45.2-61.7] vs. median, 18.5 [IQ25-75, 6.0-29.7]) (p <0.001). Internal consistency was also adequate (α-C 0.718), and sensitivity to change showed a considerable and significant difference between pre and post-test (median, 18.5 [IQ25-75, 6.0-29.7] vs. median, 44 [IQ25-75, 34.0-60.0]) (p <0.001).CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian version of the Fresno test showed satisfactory psychometric properties, and it can now be used as a tool to assess the knowledge and skills of Evidence-Based Medicine in Brazilian medical students.

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Enhancing evidence-based medicine skills in oncology training with cognitive technology.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2019.37.15_suppl.10532 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 10532-10532

Author(s):

Chun-You Chen ◽

Hui-Chun Hung ◽

Hsin-Yi Chiu ◽

Po-Li Wei ◽

Pih-Lian Kuo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Colon Cancer ◽

Medical Students ◽

Clinical Experience ◽

Evidence Based Medicine ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Cancer Type ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Based Medicine

10532 Background: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) requires applying literature evidence to inform practice. Students from Taipei Medical University Hospital, trained in EBM concepts, participated in a preliminary study using Watson for Oncology (WfO), an evidence-based decision-support system to enhance the EBM skills of medical students. Methods: A class of 50 medical students compared traditional search methods (TSM) and WfO in a workshop divided into 2 sequential sessions on colon and lung cancer, respectively. All students were trained on WfO, and 2 groups of 25 students each were randomly assigned to either TSM or WfO in the first session. Those groups were then assigned to the alternate approach in the second session. Students completed a profile that included their clinical experience with each cancer type. Students used either WfO or TSM to help answer a series of questions related to colon or lung cancer. Students then completed a survey of attitudes towards the technology, followed by a constructed-response learning assessment without the aid of TSM or WfO. Assessments were scored and results compared using a Mann-Whitney U Test; outcomes at two different experience levels, based on student profiles, were compared using a Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: In this preliminary study, more than 70% of students reported limited clinical experience with either cancer. On the colon cancer assessment, students in the WfO group performed significantly better than the TSM group ( p = 0.0001); there was no significant difference detected for lung cancer. Students with more clinical experience felt that TSM was easier to learn than WfO ( p= 0.005); students with less experience felt that WfO was clearer and more understandable than TSM ( p= 0.002). Conclusions: These preliminary results are consistent with better learning outcomes for students using WfO in the colon cancer module. Students with more clinic experience reported that TSM was easier to learn than WfO, however it is unknown if this might be due to a potentially greater familiarity with TSM in this more experienced group. More studies are needed to determine what features, if any, of WfO can facilitate EBM approaches in oncology education.

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