title: Two strategies to intensify evidence-based medicine education of undergraduate students: a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Undergraduate evidence-based practice (EBP) is usually taught through standalone courses and workshops away from clinical practice. This study compared the effects of 2 clinically integrated educational strategies on final year medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Final year medical students rotating to the general medicine service for a 2-week internship were randomly assigned to participate in a weekly EBP-structured case conference focusing on students' primary care patients (Group A, n = 47), or to receive a weekly didactic lecture about EBP (Group B, n = 47). The teaching effects of these 2 interventions were evaluated by a validated instrument for assessment of EBP related knowledge (EBP-K), attitude (EBP-A), personal application (EBP-P), and anticipated future use (EBP-F) on the first and last days of rotation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All scores improved significantly after the 2-week EBM-teaching for both groups. When compared to Group B, students in Group A had significantly higher post-intervention scores of EBP-K (21.2 ± 3.5 vs 19.0 ± 4.6; ie. 57.8 ± 72.9% vs 29.1 ± 39.1%; P <0.01) and EBP-P (18.7 ± 4.3 vs 15.3 ± 3.9; ie. 28.5 ± 25.5 % vs 14.1 ± 18.7 %; P <0.001). In contrast, the scores of EBP-A and EBP-F were similar between the 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Structured case conference, when compared to the didactic lectures, significantly improved EBP-K and EBP-P for final year medical students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Education, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hao Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Fei Ran
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Teh Fu
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Shao Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Hung Tsang
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Fa Yauh
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ying Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Te Li
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wen Shin
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chiao Lin
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Chen Huan
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Tone
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult