SE Clinical Campus

Evidence Based Medicine and Journal Club

Course Description

This course focuses on application of the principles and practices of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM). It represents one of the principle means by which the residency program supports achievement of competency in practice-based learning.

Course Goals and Objectives

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Recognize a patient problem and construct a well-built clinical question (PICO).
2. Effectively and efficiently search information resources to retrieve the best available evidence to answer the clinical question.
3. Critically appraise the evidence (literature).
4. Understand and interpret study results.
5. Integrate the evidence with all aspects of individual patient decision making to determine the best clinical care options for the patient.

Select a current (within the last month) article from one of these approved journals:

• New England Journal of Medicine
• JAMA
• The Lancet
• Annals of Internal Medicine
• CHEST

Prepare a presentation that includes the following elements:

1. Discuss the relevance of the article selected
2. Review the methods section.  Discuss the validity of the study
3. Review the result section
   1. Look for statistical significance with the results, utilizing the data provided
   2. How large was the treatment effect
   3. How precise was the treatment effect
   4. Convert data to user friendly data if possible (Number Needed to Treat)
   5. Are the results clinically significant?
   6. Are there other factors that could affect the outcome?
4. Discuss how to apply the evidence
   1. Are the results clinically significance?
   2. Can the results be applied to your patients?
   3. Will the results change your practice?
5. Using the Levels of Evidence TABLE created by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM), assign a Level of Evidence to the article.

Topics: Evidence Based Medicine  |  PICO Questions  |  Literature Search Strategies

In preparation for this session, read UGML Chapters 2-5.

Topics: Critical Appraisal of Diagnostic and Therapy Tests  |  Biostatistical Concepts of Diagnostic and Therapy Tests

Center for Evidence-Based Medicine - University of Oxford

Evidence-Based Medicine Worksheets - Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries

KT Clearinghouse - Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)

CATWalk - University of Alberta