Martha Wright, MD, MEd
Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital
Background: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) skill development is a residency core competency. Many activities have been implemented to teach these skills but few have been evaluated for effectiveness.
Objectives: To evaluate the effect of year 1 of a 3-year EBM skills curriculum on intern acquisition of EBM skills and self-assessment of EBM attitudes, knowledge, self-efficacy and behaviors.
Design/Methods: A 3-year curriculum in EBM skills for pediatric residents was implemented in our residency in July 2007. InJune 2008, using a static group comparison design, 2007 interns who were exposed to Year 1 of the curriculum and unexposed 2008 interns completed the adapted Fresno Test of EBM (Aftebm), an EBM self-assessment survey and an inventory of prior EBM education. Mean Likert scale scores were calculated for the self-assessment domains and the Aftebm was scored using the developer's rubric. Scores were compared using the Student's t-test.
Results: Seventeen (67%) 2007 interns and 21 (78%) 2008 interns completed both the Aftebm and the self-assessment surveys. Pre-residency EBM educational experiences were no different between the groups. Exposed 2007 interns had significantly higher Aftebm scores (p<0.01), and mean knowledge self-assessment and negative attitude scores (p,::0.01). There were no differences in positive attitudes, self-efficacy or behavior scores.
Conclusions: Year 1 of this EBM curriculum is associated with increases in EBM knowledge and skills, self-perceived knowledge of EBM concepts and negative attitudes toward EBM practice. Further study will determine whether experiences that promote practice of EBM skills will be associated with increased skill use and positive attitudes.
