[From medical school to paediatric residency, stopping of at the MIR exam: something must change? A survey of fourth year pediatric residents].
BACKGROUND
The Spanish medical education system has made a great contribution to the development of the National Health Service, but a need for an overall assessment process still remains.


OBJECTIVE
Evaluate several issues of under- and postgraduate (MIR) medical education of Spanish residents in Paediatrics.


METHODS
An anonymous questionnaire with coded answers administered to 61 paediatric residents in the fourth year of specialty.


RESULTS
Two thirds of residents think that the Medicine curriculum must change, with less theoretical education. Similarly a proportion of residents believes that the MIR Exam should introduce items on skills and abilities in addition to the current items. Resident tutors are considered positively in 90% of cases, but 35% of them failed in their assessment. Concepts related to evidence-based medicine are being introduced into undergraduate medical education (48% of answers) and postgraduate (69%), but we still found several areas for improvement: bibliographic information searching and critical appraisal of scientific documents.


CONCLUSIONS
The quality of medical education (undergraduate and postgraduate) shows several issues that must change, mainly related to two current paradigms: the European Higher Education Area (EEHA) and Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM).
González de Dios
J
J
Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital de Torrevieja, Alicante, España. jgdedios@telefonica.net
Polanco Allue
I
I
Díaz Vázquez
C A
CA
D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education*; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education*; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires