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Multiple strategy peer-taught evidence-based medicine course in a poor resource setting

2017; BioMed Central; Volume: 17; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1186/s12909-017-0924-1

1472-6920

Ammar Sabouni, Yamama Bdaiwi, Saad Janoudi, Lubaba O. Namous, Tarek Turk, Mahmoud Alkhatib, Fatima Abbas, Ruba Zuhri Yafi,

Health and Medical Research Impacts

Teaching Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) is becoming a priority in the healthcare process. For undergraduates, it has been proved that integrating multiple strategies in teaching EBM yields better results than a single, short-duration strategy. However, there is a lack of evidence on applying EBM educational interventions in developing countries. In this study, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of a multiple strategy peer-taught online course in improving EBM awareness and skills among medical students in two developing countries, Syria and Egypt. We conducted a prospective study with pre- and post- course assessment of 84 medical students in three universities, using the Berlin questionnaire and a set of self-reported questions which studied the students' EBM knowledge, attitude and competencies. The educational intervention was a peer-taught online course consisting of six sessions (90 min each) presented over six weeks, and integrated with assignments, group discussions, and two workshops. The mean score of pre- and post-course Berlin tests was 3.5 (95% CI: 2.94–4.06) and 5.5 (95% CI: 4.74–6.26) respectively, increasing by 2 marks (95% CI: 1.112–2.888; p-value <0.001), which indicates a statistically significant increase in students' EBM knowledge and skill, similar to a previous expert-taught face to face contact course. Self-reported confidences also increased significantly. However, our course did not have a major effect on students' attitudes toward EBM (1.9–10.8%; p-value: 0.12–0.99). In developing countries, multiple strategy peer-taught online courses may be an effective alternative to face to face expert-taught courses, especially in the short term.