Evidence-Based Medicine: An Overview of Available Evaluation Instruments

Abstract

The paradigm shift to evidence-based medical education was introduced many years back, driven mainly by the voluminous amount of medical literature available to both the medical student and practitioner as well. In essence, it provided a process for critically appraising available information for the purpose of obtaining the “best available evidence.” Presently, as we continue to teach evidence-based medicine (EBM), we find it most useful to evaluate its effectiveness by devising ways to evaluate the performance not only of the students but, of medical practitioners and teachers of EBM as well. Performance evaluation of students involve evaluating the ability to ask answerable questions, perform a systematic search of literature, critically appraise the evidence and, integrate evidence and patient’s values. A step further is to ask whether what we have learned has been translated into better clinical outcomes. Finally, we evaluate the teaching of EBM. This would necessitate much introspection as teachers ask themselves whether they have taught EBM effectively. Several evaluation instruments have already been developed over the years, but studies have shown that better tools still need to be developed.