"Information Survival Skills": a medical school elective

Science Scholars: Integrating Scientific Research Into Undergraduate Medical Education Through a Comprehensive Student-Led Preclinical Elective

INTRODUCTION

One of the goals of evidence-based medical education is to familiarize future health care practitioners with the scientific method so they can interpret scholarly literature and communicate appropriately with patients. However, many students lack the skills necessary to conduct research themselves. We describe a preclinical elective course designed to equip students with these skills through workshops, mentorship, and research experience.

METHODS

Through an application process, we selected first-year medical (M1) students who expressed interest in conducting basic, translational, or clinical research. Throughout the yearlong curriculum, students attended a series of 10 1-hour workshops to learn the skills necessary to engage in research. Additionally, each student was paired with a peer mentor. As their final project, students completed a specific aims page based on their projected research study.

RESULTS

Over the course of 3 years, 96% of students secured a research position for the summer following M1, and 36% secured positions at external institutions with nationally competitive funding, compared to 10% of their peers who did not participate in the elective. Of students, 80% indicated that this elective helped them find and secure these research positions, and 75% of students reported that they learned valuable skills not taught in their medical curriculum.

DISCUSSION

Participation in a preclinical research elective can provide immediate value in the form of research skills with the prospect of stimulating a lifelong interest in scientific inquiry. Our curriculum was delivered in a medical school setting, however it is applicable to any health care professional school.

Information seeking and evaluation: a multi-institutional survey of veterinary students

Objective

To practice evidence-based medicine, clinicians must be competent in information literacy (IL). Few studies acknowledge the critical role that reading strategies play in IL instruction and assessment of health professional students. The purpose of this study was to understand the information-seeking and evaluation behaviors of doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) students in regard to scientific papers.

Methods

The authors studied DVM student behaviors across eight programs in North America using a web-based survey of closed- and open-ended questions about finding and evaluating scientific papers, including a task to read a linked scientific paper and answer questions about it.

Results

A total of 226 individuals responded to the survey. The sections of a scientific paper that were most commonly read were the abstract, introduction, and conclusions. Students who reported reading a higher proportion of scientific papers were more likely to feel confident in their abilities to interpret them. A third of respondents answered open-ended questions after the paper reading task. Respondents felt the least amount of confidence with one of the final steps of evidence-based medicine, that of interpreting the significance of the paper to apply it in veterinary medicine.

Conclusions

DVM students may lack the skills needed to evaluate scientific literature and need more practice and feedback in evaluating and interpreting scientific papers. Librarians who support DVM students can (1) help DVM students to efficiently evaluate scientific literature, (2) seek training opportunities in alternative modes of teaching and learning IL skills, and (3) partner with veterinary faculty and clinicians to provide students with practice and feedback in information evaluation.

Highlighting a valuable dimension in health care librarianship: A systematic review

Background: Educational role is one of the most important roles of librarians, which has taken on wider dimensions. A review of the literature on the training programs provided by librarians revealed an evolution of the ideas and trends in this area. This systematic review aimed at providing a clear image of the available educational programs, their target groups, and the way they are performed. Methods: This systematic review was done to identify different aspects of the educational role of medical librarians. It was conducted on the studies published in PubMed database during 2005 and 2015. All the studies that described the educational activities of medical librarians were considered for inclusion. All the studies were evaluated by 2 researchers using a checklist, which was developed as an assessment tool. Variables that were considered were as follow: skills taught by librarians, target group, providing training on information resource, teaching method, and session location. After data extraction process and appraisal, the mentioned variables were classified into main categories. Results: A total of 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. The training skills taught by librarians were classified into 3 main groups: information literacy, evidence-based practice, and health literacy. The target groups were library users, patients, and health professionals. Group training was provided, and if necessary, personal training was also offered. Recently, synchronous online training has also been added to the training methods. Most of the training programs are held in classrooms. Conclusion: By categorizing different aspects of training programs, this study aimed at providing a basis for designing a framework to identify the tasks of educational librarians in health sciences.

The Impact of Library Tutorials on the Information Literacy Skills of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Students in an Evidence-Based Practice Course: A Rubric Assessment

This study measures how online library instructional tutorials implemented into an evidence-based practice course have impacted the information literacy skills of occupational and physical therapy graduate students. Through a rubric assessment of final course papers, this study compares differences in students' search strategies and cited sources pre- and post-implementation of the tutorials. The population includes 180 randomly selected graduate students from before and after the library tutorials were introduced into the course curriculum. Results indicate a statistically significant increase in components of students' searching skills and ability to find higher levels of evidence after completing the library tutorials.

Awareness, perception and barriers to seeking information from online academic databases and medical journals as sources of information

Medical students' use of online medical journals as a source of information is crucial in the learning pathway to become medical doctors. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study among University medical students between December 2012 and March 2013 to assess their awareness, perceived usefulness, practices, and barriers to seeking information from online academic databases and medical journals. The response rate was 67.53%. The majority of the students knew of the availability of online academic databases and medical journals. The mean score for awareness (4.25 of possible 11.0), perceived usefulness (13.95 of possible 33.0), and practice (10.67 of possible 33.0) were low. The mean barrier score toward using online academic databases and medical journals was 25.41 (of possible 45.0). Multivariate findings showed that significant barriers associated with overall usage of online databases and medical journals were 1) not knowing where or how to locate databases and 2) unsureness of using the Boolean operators. Availability of full text subscriptions was found to be an important factor in using online databases. Study findings highlighted the need to increase awareness of academic databases' availability and increase training on ways to search online academic databases and medical journals.

Instructional methods used by health sciences librarians to teach evidence-based practice (EBP): a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Librarians often teach evidence-based practice (EBP) within health sciences curricula. It is not known what teaching methods are most effective.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was conducted searching CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, LISTA, PubMed, Scopus, and others. Searches were completed through December 2014. No limits were applied. Hand searching of Medical Library Association annual meeting abstracts from 2009-2014 was also completed. Studies must be about EBP instruction by a librarian within undergraduate or graduate health sciences curricula and include skills assessment. Studies with no assessment, letters and comments, and veterinary education studies were excluded. Data extraction and critical appraisal were performed to determine the risk of bias of each study.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven studies were included for analysis. Studies occurred in the United States (20), Canada (3), the United Kingdom (1), and Italy (1), with 22 in medicine and 5 in allied health. Teaching methods included lecture (20), small group or one-on-one instruction (16), computer lab practice (15), and online learning (6). Assessments were quizzes or tests, pretests and posttests, peer-review, search strategy evaluations, clinical scenario assignments, or a hybrid. Due to large variability across studies, meta-analysis was not conducted.

DISCUSSION

Findings were weakly significant for positive change in search performance for most studies. Only one study compared teaching methods, and no one teaching method proved more effective. Future studies could conduct multisite interventions using randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trial study design and standardized assessment tools to measure outcomes.

Educational strategies for teaching evidence-based practice to undergraduate health students: systematic review

PURPOSE

The aim of this systematic review was to find best teaching strategies for teaching evidence-based practice (EBP) to undergraduate health students that have been adopted over the last years in healthcare institutions worldwide.

METHODS

The authors carried out a systematic, comprehensive bibliographic search using Medline database for the years 2005 to March 2015 (updated in March 2016). Search terms used were chosen from the USNLM Institutes of Health list of MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) and free text key terms were used as well. Selected articles were measured based on the inclusion criteria of this study and initially compared in terms of titles or abstracts. Finally, articles relevant to the subject of this review were retrieved in full text. Critical appraisal was done to determine the effects of strategy of teaching evidence-based medicine (EBM).

RESULTS

Twenty articles were included in the review. The majority of the studies sampled medical students (n=13) and only few conducted among nursing (n=2), pharmacy (n=2), physiotherapy/therapy (n=1), dentistry (n=1), or mixed disciplines (n=1) students. Studies evaluated a variety of educational interventions of varying duration, frequency and format (lectures, tutorials, workshops, conferences, journal clubs, and online sessions), or combination of these to teach EBP. We categorized interventions into single interventions covering a workshop, conference, lecture, journal club, or e-learning and multifaceted interventions where a combination of strategies had been assessed. Seven studies reported an overall increase to all EBP domains indicating a higher EBP competence and two studies focused on the searching databases skill.

CONCLUSION

Followings were deduced from above analysis: multifaceted approach may be best suited when teaching EBM to health students; the use of technology to promote EBP through mobile devices, simulation, and the web is on the rise; and the duration of the interventions varying form some hours to even months was not related to the students' EBP competence.

How are medical students trained to locate biomedical information to practice evidence-based medicine? A review of the 2007-2012 literature

OBJECTIVES

This study describes how information retrieval skills are taught in evidence-based medicine (EBM) at the undergraduate medical education (UGME) level.

METHODS

The authors systematically searched MEDLINE, Scopus, Educational Resource Information Center, Web of Science, and Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews for English-language articles published between 2007 and 2012 describing information retrieval training to support EBM. Data on learning environment, frequency of training, learner characteristics, resources and information skills taught, teaching modalities, and instructor roles were compiled and analyzed.

RESULTS

Twelve studies were identified for analysis. Studies were set in the United States (9), Australia (1), the Czech Republic (1), and Iran (1). Most trainings (7) featured multiple sessions with trainings offered to preclinical students (5) and clinical students (6). A single study described a longitudinal training experience. A variety of information resources were introduced, including PubMed, DynaMed, UpToDate, and AccessMedicine. The majority of the interventions (10) were classified as interactive teaching sessions in classroom settings. Librarians played major and collaborative roles with physicians in teaching and designing training. Unfortunately, few studies provided details of information skills activities or evaluations, making them difficult to evaluate and replicate.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reviewed the literature and characterized how EBM search skills are taught in UGME. Details are provided on learning environment, frequency of training, level of learners, resources and skills trained, and instructor roles.

IMPLICATIONS

The results suggest a number of steps that librarians can take to improve information skills training including using a longitudinal approach, integrating consumer health resources, and developing robust assessments.

Elective courses for medical students during the preclinical curriculum: a systematic review and evaluation

OBJECTIVE

Preclinical medical student electives are prevalent at medical schools across the United States, but the range of electives available and their impact on medical student education are not well described in the literature. The objective of this article is to review the literature relating to preclinical medical student electives and their impact on medical student educational outcomes.

METHODS

We reviewed studies that met the following criteria: English-language articles describing preclinical US-based medical electives. We used PubMed journal databases and limited our search for the time period 1999-2014. We excluded electives based in other countries or electives designed for third or fourth year students. Data abstracted included the topic of the elective, qualitative descriptions of the electives, and any associated surveys or exam data associated with the electives. Data were synthesized using descriptive tables sorting electives by broad topic. Reported outcomes and statistical methods were analyzed to assess study quality.

RESULTS

We found a wide range of subjects taught in the form of preclinical medical school electives. We identified electives in clinical skills, the humanities, student lifestyle, specialty-specific electives, and an assortment of other miscellaneous electives. Surveys and exams administered to students showed that the electives were universally well received by students. Of the 37 electives identified, 15 electives used quantitative objective assessments, such as knowledge exams, while the remaining tended to use student self-reported results.

CONCLUSIONS

Preclinical medical student electives are prevalent at medical schools across the United States and have a significant impact on medical student education.

Lessons learned: year-by-year improvement of a required information competency course

At the Ohio State University, a health sciences librarian is the co-instructor in a required information competencies course for first-year undergraduate students in the Honors Biomedical Science Major. This article discusses the creation and development of the credit-bearing, in-person course from the curriculum planning phase in 2005 to present. Improvements to the course are described by year. Student feedback, student performance, and reflection by the co-instructors influenced the course improvements, including changes in content, delivery, student feedback mechanisms, and assessment of student learning. The course teaches students to access, organize, read, and analyze the biomedical research literature.