We discussed:

• Definitions of Evidence-based Medicine - Evidence, patient values, clinical expertise

• Contexts of teaching EBM - EB Clinical Medicine, EB decision making, Tools and Techniques, and Information Mastery

• Some "quick wins"

Quick Wins

Be more explicit about your knowledge.

• Say "I don't know" more.

• Say "Not sure, I would normally look that up in <insert reference here>. How about you?"

Ask your learners - "What's the evidence for that?"

• Set high expectations and happily help your learners achieve them. - i.e., be prepared to look for the answer together.

Reflect on your own decision-making

• Which part is evidence, which part is patient values?

• Why are you/are you not deviating from evidence or guidelines?

Open up your practice's clinical policy-making and involve residents

• Be explicit about evidence

• Rotate residents into decision-making

All of this is about creating the conditions for learning evidence-based medicine, not just "teaching" it.

Did anyone try any of these?

How did it go?

EBM Teaching

• Study of Evidence-based Practice - How do you determine if someone is practicing EBM?

  • Knowledge of basics of critical appraisal, guidelines, etc.

  • EQUALLY IMPORTANT: healthy skepticism, honesty, curiosity, conscientiousness, patient-centeredness

• "Information mastery" as opposed to "EBM":

  • How rigorous were the authors in producing this evidence?

  • How explicit were the authors about their methods?

Culture change vs. Individual EBM expertise...

• Focus on Creating the Conditions for Learning

• Learn together with the residents

"Homework"

Send me your stories by email:

• Trying quick win items

• Using 1 or 2 of the Resources