Preparing Medical Students for Residency: Efficacy of Evidence Based Medicine Instruction

Abstract

Offering library and bibliographic instruction to medical students is a critically important component of medical training. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and the Accreditation Standards and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) both identify literature searching skills and evidence based medicine (EBM) as core competencies need by medical students. The AAMC’s Medical School Objectives Project declares that prior to graduation, medical students must have demonstrated “the ability to retrieve…, manage, and utilize biomedical information” to enhance patient care (Lynn, 2010, p. 122). In order to meet these goals, medical and instruction librarians must assume an active role in medical school curriculums. By becoming involved in the training of medical students, librarians can ensure that future practitioners will have the requisite skills needed to develop a commitment to using EBM in patient care. This literature review examines the efficacy of current EBM instruction within medical schools. Several articles are examined that look into whether residents and junior doctors are retaining the EBM training they received in medical school, and if these individuals are applying EBM skills to enhance patient care. The review then transitions into looking at some instruction technologies and pedagogical techniques that can be used to enhance the effectiveness of EBM instruction for medical students.