Identifying Gaps in the Teaching of Medical Literature Critical Appraisal Skills: A Needs Assessment Survey of Medical Students

Main Article Content

Sarah M Elias
Michael Reaume
Rakesh V Patel

Abstract

Objective: Acquisition of critical appraisal skills during medical training is essential for providing high-quality evidence-based patient care. To ensure the effective and durable acquisition and application of these skills, within an overcrowded undergraduate curriculum, the learning needs of medical students must be better understood. The objective of this survey was to explore medical students’ medical literature critical appraisal skills and determine their educational needs.


Methods: A web-based survey was administered to University of Ottawa medical students over a 2-month period. The survey captured demographic information, educational experiences, the perceived value of critical appraisal skills, and learning preferences for the development of these skills. Proportions were reported for both categorical and ordinal variables.


Results: Fifty-nine students completed the survey. The majority of respondents reported that they were lacking both competence (57%) and confidence (75%) in critical appraisal. The most common content delivery methods for teaching critical appraisal skills were lectures and seminars. However, journal club, case-based learning and journal articles were perceived by respondents as being more effective content delivery methods.


Conclusion: Most students recognize the clinical practice value of critical appraisal but report lacking competence and/or confidence for successfully employing these skills for patient care.  Interestingly, students’ preferred content delivery methods differed from those most commonly utilized in our undergraduate medical curricula, highlighting a shortcoming in the teaching of evidence-based medicine.


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Objectif : L’acquisition de compétences d’évaluation critique au cours de la formation médicale est essentielle pour fournir aux patients des soins de qualité fondés sur des données probantes. Pour garantir une acquisition et une application efficace et durable de ces compétences, dans le cadre d’un programme d’études de premier cycle surchargé, les besoins d’apprentissage des étudiants en médecine doivent être mieux compris. L’objectif de ce sondage était d’explorer les compétences des étudiants en médecine en matière d’évaluation critique de la littérature médicale et de déterminer leurs besoins en matière d’éducation.


Méthodes : Un sondage en ligne a été administré aux étudiants en médecine de l’Université d’Ottawa sur une période de deux mois. L’enquête a recueilli des informations démographiques, des expériences éducatives, la valeur perçue des compétences d’évaluation critique et les préférences d’apprentissage pour le développement de ces compétences. Les proportions ont été rapportées pour les variables catégorielles et ordinales.


Résultats : Cinquante-neuf étudiants ont répondu à l’enquête. La majorité des répondants ont indiqué qu’ils manquaient à la fois de compétences (57%) et de confiance (75%) en matière d’évaluation critique. Les méthodes les plus courantes pour enseigner les compétences en matière d’évaluation critique sont les cours magistraux et les séminaires. Cependant, les clubs de lecture, l’apprentissage basé sur des cas et les articles de journaux ont été perçus par les répondants comme étant des méthodes de transmission de contenu plus efficaces.


Conclusion : La plupart des étudiants reconnaissent la valeur de l’évaluation critique dans la pratique clinique, mais déclarent manquer de compétences et/ou de confiance pour utiliser avec succès ces compétences dans les soins aux patients. Il est intéressant de noter que les méthodes d’enseignement préférées des étudiants diffèrent de celles qui sont le plus souvent utilisées dans nos programmes d’études médicales de premier cycle, ce qui met en évidence une lacune dans l’enseignement de la médecine fondée sur des données probantes.

Article Details

Section
Original Research

References

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