Abstract
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is considered to be an important approach in making clinical decisions regarding the care of individual patients. We conducted a drug information training program applying EBM principles (EBM practice) as part of the hospital practical training curriculum for fourth-year undergraduates at Ehime University Medical School, and describe the EBM practice and its evaluation by students in the present report. In the EBM practice, students received two lectures and training on providing drug information using the EBM approach. We gave students a specific question, which required them to read clinical research articles (meta-analysis or randomized controlled study) in order to answer it.
The training program consisted of 5 steps : STEP 1 Defining the specific question that needs to be answered ; STEP 2 Finding the best evidence to answer the question ; STEP 3 Critically evaluating the evidence to assess its validity and usefulness ; STEP 4 Applying the results of the critical evaluation in practice ; STEP 5 Presentation of drug information and discussion.
After the training, we asked participating students to complete a questionnaire regarding their opinions of the training program and lectures. Almost all of the students felt satisfied with the EBM practice because it enabled them to enhance their understanding of the EBM process. Our findings suggested that the EBM practice was a useful training program for students.
