title: Teaching evidence-based practice at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio dental school.
abstract: The overarching goal of the Evidence-Based Practice Program at San Antonio is to provide our graduates with life-long learning skills that will enable them to keep up-to-date and equip them with the best possible patient care skills during their 30-40 years of practice. Students are taught to (1) ask focused clinical questions, (2) search the biomedical research literature (PubMed) for the most recent and highest level of evidence, (3) critically evaluate the evidence, and (4) make clinical judgments about the applicability of the evidence for their patients. Students must demonstrate competency with these "just-in-time" learning skills through writing concise one-page Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) on focused clinical questions. The school has established an online searchable library of these Critically Appraised Topics. This library provides students and faculty with rapid, up-to-date evidence-based answers to clinical questions. The long-range plan is to make this online library available to practitioners and the public.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Dentistry, UTHSCA, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Rugh
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Hendricson
authors.forename: Birgit J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hatch
authors.forename: S Thomas
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Deahl
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guest
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ongkiko
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gureckis
authors.forename: Archie A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gakunga
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.forename: Bjorn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Steffensen
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D003657:Decision Making; D048048:Dental Informatics; D018865:Dental Research; D004497:Education, Dental; D055094:Evidence-Based Dentistry / Q000193:education*; D005179:Faculty, Dental; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D007858:Learning; D046609:Libraries, Digital; D009862:Online Systems; D039781:PubMed; D012575:Schools, Dental; D013192:Staff Development; D013663:Teaching; D013781:Texas