The frustrations of adopting evidence-based medical education and how they can be overcome!

Abstract

Evidence-based medical education has been widely promoted but our discussions with medical educators across different countries has highlighted that adopting this approach can be frustrating. There is often a lack of useful evidence that can inform the practical decisions that medical educators have to make about curriculum development or the way that they should teach, especially in relation to low and middle income countries. To overcome these challenges, we recommend that studies increase their reporting of the context and process of any interventions. We also recommend international collaborations with a common goal to answer a research question that is of importance across different contexts. Future research should also focus on understanding the challenges of implementing evidence-based medical education in different countries.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was partially funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – São Paulo Research Foundation [Young Investigator Grant number 2018/15642-1] awarded to Dario Cecilio-Fernandes. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Notes on contributors

Dario Cecilio-Fernandes

Dario Cecilio-Fernandes, Psy, MSc, Ph.D, AFAMEE, is a researcher in the Department of Medical Psychology and Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas and has research interest on assessment and skill acquisition. He has also worked with faculty development in the University of Campinas.

John Sandars

John Sandars, MBChB, MSc, MD, MRCP, MRCGP, FAcadMEd, CertEd, FHEA, is a Professor of Medical Education in the Health Research Institute at Edge Hill University and has a research and development interest in the use of self-regulated learning theory for performance improvement of individuals.