Factors Associated with Practicing Evidence-Based Medicine Among Medical Interns in Amhara Regional State Teaching Hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is an important component of modern medicine and is essential for the provision of high-quality health services. Little is known about the level of EBM use among Ethiopian medical students. This study aimed to assess the factors associated with EBM practice among medical interns in teaching hospitals in northwestern Ethiopia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a random sample of medical interns in teaching hospitals of northwest Ethiopia. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with EBM practice. The strength of the interaction between variables was calculated using the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

Completed questionnaire was obtained from 403 (95.3%) of 423 medical interns. About 48.4% of respondents had a good EBM practice. EBM knowledge (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.220–2.835), attitude to EBM (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.318–3.193), ability to appraise evidence (AOR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.570–3.517), and having sufficient time to search for evidence (AOR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.065–2.627) were factors significantly associated to EBM practice.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the main factors affecting medical intern’s practice of EBM were lack of critical appraisal skill, lack of knowledge needed to practice EBM, negative attitudes toward EBM, and insufficient time to search for evidence. Providing EBM training to the needs of medical interns would overcome the barriers identified in this study, as well as assist medical interns and other clinical staffs to ensure the correct application of EBM in to clinical practice.

Keywords:

• evidence-based medicine
• medical
• internship
• barriers
• Ethiopia

Abbreviations

EBM, evidence-based medicine; DARE, a database of reviews of abstracts of effectiveness; AOR, adjusted odds ratio; CI, confidence Interval; COR, crude odds ratio.

Data Sharing Statement

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

Ethics Approval and Informed Consent

Ethical clearance and approval was obtained from the ethical review committee of the University of Gondar, Institute of Public Health and conducted following the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. Subjects were informed about the purpose of the study and the benefits of participating in it. Written consent was obtained from each study subject to participate in the study. Confidentiality and privacy were guaranteed during the whole period of the study.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the University of Gondar College of Medicine and Health Science, Institute of public health for financial support. Our heartily thanks also goes to supervisors and data collectors for their support in the data collection process. We also thank medical interns for their active participation in the study.

Author Contributions

All authors made a significant contribution to the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article, gave final approval of the version to be published, have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

All authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This research has been financially supported by the University of Gondar for data collection and analysis. No fund was received for the publication of the article.