Evidence-based medicine in pre-clinical years: a study of early introduction and usefulness

Introduction: Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) has establisheditself as a strong predictor of future medical practice by medicalstudents. The purpose of this study was to determine theeffectiveness of EBM in pre-clinical years and reflect on selfassessmentskill of 4th semester medical students regarding theunderstanding of EBM and its various determinants.Methods: All of the 4th semester (MD4) medical students at theAvalon University of Medical School, Curacao who had completedtheir EBM curriculum were asked to voluntarily participatein a cross sectional student survey containing qualitative andquantitative questionnaires in a 10-point scale. The students’responses were analyzed statistically and the results reported.Results: Twenty-three students participated in the survey. 91%of them reported that EBM had helped them to better understandresearch process and 95% believed that EBM was necessary todevelop clinical skills in the future. 78% of the students agreedthat they were provided with enough resources for effectiveimplementation of EBM in the university. All participants(100%) self reported that they could appraise the research articleseffectively (mean score 8.26, S.D-1.45).Conclusions: EBM is an integrative and comprehensive way tosuccessfully adopt concepts of acquired medical knowledge foreffective medical practice. Early introduction of EBM in preclinicalyears proved favorable in students and better equipped them withthe ability to critically apprehend and appraise new research andinnovations in medicine for optimal learning experience. Thereis a definitive need for scientific and systematic design of thecurriculum for early introduction of EBM in pre-clinical years,best suited for the students. The principles should be directedtowards further research for the effective implementation of EBMto enhance clinical skills.Keywords: Evidence-based medicine; Medical education; Medical students; Curriculum; Evaluation