Elective Years 3 and 4: Evidence Based Medicine - Research

Evidence Based Medicine - Research

Diversification = Not classified

2 weeks (one week clinical/one week research) ** U of A students, only one week credit will be granted for this elective unless completed between second and third year as a summer elective

Placement Contact: Nicole Stubbs  fmunder@ualberta.ca

This internship goal is to utilize the principles of evidence based medicine to answer a clinically relevant questions in medicine. The information will then be summarized by writing a brief report - either a "Tool for Practice", (a 300 word summary of the topic) or a summary of activities undertaken if other research methods were involved.

The intern will work with a member or members of the Evidence Based Medicine team, typically to create a "Tool for Practice" clinical evidence review - although other research methods could be employed depending on the students interests and availability of suitable projects. Principles including: relative and absolute risk reduction, numbers needed to treat (and harm), statistical and clinical relevance, heterogeneity as well as a review of the different types of studies (randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, systematic reviews and studies examining diagnostic tests) will likely be reviewed.

 Prior to this internship, interns must generate an answerable clinical question clinically relevant to general health care in Canada. The clinical question should use the PICO-S format:
P: Patient or population
I: Intervention
C: Comparator
O: Outcome
S: Study design

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Undergraduate medical students in Canadian institutions
• For students from 4-year programs, completion of a minimum of two years of medical school, prior to the requested date of elective
• Preference will be given to students in year 3 or 4
• For students from 3-year programs, completion of a minimum of one year of medical school, prior to the requested date of elective
• Preference will be given to students in year 2 or 3

Submission of requests for elective (Internal University of Alberta students) at least 3 months before the requested elective date