Self-perceived competencies on evidence-based medicine in medical students and physicians registered in a virtual course: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

Background

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is defined as the integration of the best available evidence from scientific studies with clinical experience (and context) and with patients’ values and preferences. The objective of the present study was to describe self-perceived EBM competencies in physicians and medical students enrolled in a massive virtual EBM course.

Methods

Analytical cross-sectional study. People interested in a free virtual EBM course fulfilled their data in a virtual form for their registration in September 2020. In this form, 22 competencies related to four dimensions of EBM were evaluated: asking a clinical question, search, analysis, and application; using a 5-option Likert scale. The resulting database was analyzed, selecting people who claimed to be physicians or medical students of 18 years or more.

Results

1793 participants were included: 1130 medical students and 663 physicians; more than 80% lived in Peru. The frequency of participants who agreed or strongly agreed with feeling qualified in each competence ranged: from 39.2% to 57.8% for the competencies of the ‘Asking a clinical question’ dimension, from 39.2% to 56.1% for ‘Search,’ from 19.9% to 32.0% for ‘Analysis,’ and from 19.6% to 29.9% for ‘Application.’ Both in physicians and students, the lowest frequencies were for the competencies of interpretation of impact measures, graphs, and results of systematic reviews; as well as shared decision making and calculation of expected benefit. Physicians who graduated more recently scored better on competencies from search and analysis dimensions.

Conclusion

Among physicians and medical students enrolled in the course, self-perception of competencies was lower in the dimensions of analysis and application. More recently graduated physicians seem to have a greater self-perception of their research and analysis skills, probably due to curricular updates.

List of abbreviations: EBM: Evidence-based medicine; CIMBE, for its acronym in Spanish: International Course on Evidence-Based Medicine; SOCIMEP, for its acronym in Spanish: Peruvian Medical Student Scientific Society

KEYWORDS:

• Evidence-based medicine
• physicians
• professional competence
• Medical students
• Medical education

Acknowledgments

We thank SOCIMEP for allowing us to organize the course and to use their social networks for dissemination.

Authors’ contributions

MAAR, DRSM, IBCM, and ATR designed the study. MAAR, DRSM, FMGG, IBCM, CCSS, and SPBA participated in data collection. MAAR, DRSM, FMGG, IBCM, CCSS, SPBA, CAAR, ATR, and AVG drafted and revised the first version of the manuscript. All authors participated in the drafting of the article and accepted its final version.

Availability of Data and Materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

MAAR, DRSM, FMGG, IBCM, CCSS, SPBA belong to SOCIMEP and were organizers of CIMBE.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Universidad Peruana Union (Code: 2020-CEUPeU-00028). The database to be used did not collect sensitive information from the participants and was anonymized before starting data processing.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.