Evidence-based medicine - how to teach critical scientific thinking to medical undergraduates

Abstract

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) offers a systematic and structured approach to teaching critical scientific thinking. In the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Helsinki, after an extensive training of medical teachers and piloting the course with a small group of volunteer students, a 40-hour EBM course was organized for the fourth-year medical students. Feedback from students and teachers has been enthusiastic. The EBM course activated the students' critical thinking, enhanced social learning and group processes, and promoted their attitudes towards independent information retrieval and critical appraisal.