Evidence Based Medicine
The focus of the Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) Program is on providing residents with the understanding and skills to:
- formulate a clinical question,
- determine the best resources to answer the question,
- access those resources,
- appraise rapidly the available evidence, and
- put the evidence into practice.
Primary Goals
To help residents become competent self-directed life-long learners with the skills to effectively and efficiently keep up-to-date
To learn how to use EBM to rapidly solve problems encountered in daily practice.
Learning Objectives
Knowledge Component
To understand the rationale and benefits of EBM, to provide and identify online resources, educational tools and web links, and to provide a strong foundation in the basic principles of EBM, including:
- Recognizing and formulating clinical questions
- Finding and accessing information
- Interpreting information
- Applying information
Skills Component
Learn to identify problems/questions encountered in practice and seek solutions based upon the best evidence. (Via EBM "assignment" to promote rapidly answering clinical questions), and build skills and comfort in knowledge transfer (primarily through oral presentation skills).
Attitude Component
To facilitate appreciation and enthusiasm for the judicious use of current evidence to optimize patient care; maintenance of skills and knowledge through life long self-directed learning.
EBM Program Components
- Family Medicine Evidence Based Medicine Workshop (mid August) (2 day mixed lecture & small group work with 2 hour computer lab)
- Electronic Information Resource for Primary Care Practitioners (Internet resource of links, EBM information, updates, etc)
- Brief Evidence-based Assessment of Research (BEARs). BEARS is a one-page template assignment done about every 4 weeks and presented during the Family Medicine block rotation and Behavioural Medicine course.
- Resident Journal Club (in association with the Wednesday Academic Half-Days)