The Impact of an Evidence-Based Medicine Workshop on Residents’ Attitudes towards and Self-Reported Ability in Evidence-Based Practice

Abstract

Background: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a part of many medical school and residency curricula worldwide, but there is little research into the most effective methods to teach
these skills. Purpose: To evaluate whether a course on EBM utilizing adult learning principals leads to both
immediate and short-term attitudinal, confidence, and behavioral change. Methods: Seventy-three (73) Internal Medicine and Internal Medicine/Pediatric residents attended
a half-day seminar on EBM. Participants completed pre- and post-course 5-point Likert questionnaires,
and set two personal goals for integrating EBM into their daily practice. We performed
nonparametric two -sample Wilcoxon Rank-Sum tests to compare responses. We also elicited the
self-reported success of the residents in meeting their goals one-month post-course. Results: Attitudes about EBM improved (3.5 pre-course vs. 3.7 post-course), as well as selfreported
EBM skills (3.0 vs. 3.3). Seventy-two percent of residents reported having met at least
one of their two goals for the integration of EBM into their practice. Conclusions: An EBM workshop based upon adult learning principles was successful in meeting
multiple educational goals. The links between andragogy, learners’ internal drive for behavior
change, and successful EBM education should be further explored.