[Is the learning process of "evidence-based medicine" influenced by determined factors? Results from a national survey of 1870 French students in their sixth year].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the baseline level of knowledge of evidence based medicine (EBM) concepts in a sample of French medical students in their sixth year of training.


METHODS
An "electronic-questionnaire" was proposed to 3125 sixth-year students from all 39 French medical schools in 2009.


RESULTS
Overall, 1870 students (58.2% response rate) completed the questionnaire (women=1168; 63%). The concept of EBM was known by 1716 students (92%). Most students (n=1382; 74%) read at least one French medical article per year, but 1051 students (56%) never read international articles. Just over half of students (1030; 55%) knew of web-based medical information databases. Treatment guidelines were considered to be important by most students (97%). Only 24.3% and 29% of students said that they write or speak English. In multivariate analysis, studying in a Parisian University and/or knowledge of what a journal's "impact factor" is were both associated with a ranking in the top 20% of the National Ranking Exam practice session.


CONCLUSIONS
Only the most successful students showed interest in obtaining more knowledge of EBM. The lack of education about EBM in this sample suggests a lack of efficacy in the current heterogeneous EBM teaching programs.
Rouprêt
Morgan
M
Université Paris VI, faculté de médecine Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), hôpital Pitié-Salpétrière, service d'urologie, 75013 Paris, France. morgan.roupret@psl.aphp.fr
Karila
Laurent
L
Kerneis
Solen
S
Lefevre
Jérémie H
JH
D000328:Adult; D004501:Education, Medical; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult