title: Knowledge and attitudes towards evidence-based medicine of mentors in general practice can be influenced by using medical students as academic detailers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Regular use of evidence-based medicine (EBM) among general practitioners (GP) is insufficient.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyse whether knowledge and attitudes about EBM can be improved among mentors in general practice by involving sixth-year medical students as academic detailers.
  
  
  METHODS
  An interventional non-randomized before-and-after study included 98 GPs (49 in the intervention group of mentors and 49 controls) and 174 medical students attending family medicine clinical rotations. A telephone survey on knowledge and attitudes towards EBM was conducted among participating physicians before, and six months after the rotation. During the rotation, each mentor chose two cases from real life, and the students' task was to form an answerable clinical question, find the evidence-based answer and to write a brief report. The mentor reviewed the report and discussed it with the student.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students' EBM detailing intervention led to significant improvement in knowledge and attitudes about EBM in the intervention group of mentors in general practice compared to control GPs (relative increase in knowledge was 20 ± 46.9% vs 6 ± 12.1%, respectively; P = 0.042). Among participants with Ph.D. or specialization in family medicine, the observed effects of the intervention were similar as in the total sample, and statistically significant, but not in the group of participants with neither scientific degree nor specialization in family medicine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowledge and attitudes of GP mentors towards EBM can be improved by involving medical students as academic detailers. Further studies should explore the effectiveness of this method among GPs that are not mentors, and who do not have a specialization or research degree.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Family Medicine , University of Split School of Medicine , Split , Croatia.
authors.forename: Davorka
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vrdoljak
authors.affiliation: a Department of Family Medicine , University of Split School of Medicine , Split , Croatia.
authors.forename: Dragomir
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petric
authors.affiliation: b Department of Family Medicine , University of Rijeka, School of Medicine , Rijeka , Croatia.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Diminić Lisica
authors.affiliation: c Department of Family Medicine , Zagreb University School of Medicine, School of Public Health Andrija Stampar , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Ksenija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kranjčević
authors.affiliation: d Health Centre of Splitsko-Dalmatinska County , Split , Croatia.
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Došen Janković
authors.affiliation: d Health Centre of Splitsko-Dalmatinska County , Split , Croatia.
authors.forename: Ita
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Delija
authors.affiliation: e Laboratory for Pain Research, University of Split School of Medicine , Split , Croatia.
authors.forename: Livia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Puljak
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Evidence-based medicine; academic detailing; general practice