Adopting a blended learning approach to teaching evidence based medicine: a mixed methods study

Abstract

BackgroundEvidence Based Medicine (EBM) is a core unit delivered across many medical schools. Few studies have investigated the most effective method of teaching a course in EBM to medical students. The objective of this study was to identify whether a blended-learning approach to teaching EBM is more effective a didactic-based approach at increasing medical student competency in EBM.MethodsA mixed-methods study was conducted consisting of a controlled trial and focus groups with second year graduate medical students. Students received the EBM course delivered using either a didactic approach (DID) to learning EBM or a blended-learning approach (BL). Student competency in EBM was assessed using the Berlin tool and a criterion-based assessment task, with student perceptions on the interventions assessed qualitatively.ResultsA total of 61 students (85.9%) participated in the study. Competency in EBM did not differ between the groups when assessed using the Berlin tool (p = 0.29). Students using the BL approach performed significantly better in one of the criterion-based assessment tasks (p = 0.01) and reported significantly higher self-perceived competence in critical appraisal skills. Qualitative analysis identified that students had a preference for the EBM course to be delivered using the BL approach.ConclusionsImplementing a blended-learning approach to EBM teaching promotes greater student appreciation of EBM principles within the clinical setting. Integrating a variety of teaching modalities and approaches can increase student self-confidence and assist in bridging the gap between the theory and practice of EBM.

Advances in medical education and practice: student perceptions of the flipped classroom

“…FC methodology at the clinical level of medical school has, to date, been applied to various initiatives that are related to core components of undergraduate medical education (Table 3), including emergency medicine,21,22 evidence-based medicine (EBM),23,24 obstetrics and gynecology,25–27 surgery,28,29 differential diagnosis,30 and radiology 31,32. In addition, the inverted classroom methodology has been applied to topics such as geriatric medicine,33 disaster medicine,34 advanced cardiac life support,35 and an elective related to medicine as a business 36.…”

“…Other in-class active learning sessions included student-driven workshops23,32,34 or discussion-based activities,11,14,17,22,36 which typically took place in small group settings, though one initiative described a large group discussion that applied the “think/pair/share” active learning approach 14. One clinical FC initiative incorporated weekly conference discussions that had students engage with their interprofessional teammates 33.…”

The Impact of Blended Learning on Student Performance in a Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy Course

“…[16][17][18][19] Evidence from a wide range of disciplines supports the use of blended learning to improve student outcomes. [20][21][22][23] Improvement in student outcomes associated with blended learning can be described, in part, by constructivism, which views knowledge not as a finite and defined body of facts and concepts, but as ever-evolving and dynamically constructed by the learner in interaction with others and with the environment. [24][25][26][27] In teaching practice, the constructivist view of learning promotes utilization of active learning to engage students in the learning process through meaningful activities that prompt them to reflect on ideas, self-assess content mastery, gather information, and apply it to solving problems.…”

Evidence-Based Medicine Curriculum Improves Pediatric Emergency Fellows' Scores on In-Training Examinations

“…al. described the development and internal validation of the Berlin Questionnaire which consists of 2 sets of 15 multiple-choice questions[21]; it has primarily been used to assess the impact of EBM curricula among medical students[17, 22]. The Fresno test, developed by Ramos et.…”