Introducing Evidence Based Practice: The Library’s Role in Teaching about Critical Information Tools

Abstract

The introduction of evidence based practice to medical students is spreading rapidly in medical education. In the majority of cases, this education begins in Residency programs,^1–3 where the student, for the first time, is required to access and use the medical literature. It has been shown however, that there is a dramatic effect on the efficiency and quality of a student’s future clinical performance if exposed to evidence based practice earlier, in an undergraduate curriculum.⁴ At the Wayne State University (WSU) School of Medicine the student is introduced to evidence based concepts in medical practice in a mandatory two and a half week first-year course, well before they will encounter real-life clinical situations. The earlier exposure to evidence based practice can alleviate many of the problems encountered in introducing students to these concepts later in their education.