A multidisciplinary approach to information management and critical appraisal instruction: a controlled study.

A study of the effectiveness of a collaborative course in teaching library and critical appraisal skills was conducted at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. A critical appraisal and library skills course was taught at the Peoria site during the third-year medical clerkship. The performance of Peoria students on a twenty-item multiple choice posttest was compared to that of third-year students in Rockford, who received no library or critical appraisal instruction during their medicine clerkship. The two groups were similar in self-perceived library skills, critical appraisal skills, and other demographic values. Peoria students scored significantly higher on library, critical appraisal, and total posttest questions. An improving trend during the year was not observed at either site, implying that students were not acquiring these skills in day-to-day clerkship activities. Results suggest that this multidisciplinary course is effective in teaching library and critical appraisal skills.

A multidisciplinary approach to information and critical appraisal instruction.

The formulation of clinical decisions based on evidence requires the ability to locate information and evaluate it critically. A ten-week critical appraisal course for third-year medical students, taught cooperatively by library and Department of Medicine faculty, integrates education in the selection, evaluation, and application of information to patient care. The course is distinctive in that information management skills are taught by a multidisciplinary team in a problem-based format as part of the compulsory medical curriculum. Medical faculty provided instruction in reading and evaluating research methodology, as well as statistical analyses in published reports, using clinical scenarios and related journal articles at weekly sessions. Library faculty provided instruction in locating pertinent research on a sample clinical problem using standard printed and computerized indexes and local library resources, and presented criteria for selecting the most useful and significant works from those retrieved. Library faculty also met individually with students to provide instruction in online literature searching. Based on formal evaluation and informal feedback, the course was well received; it effectively presents the literature search as an integral part of critical appraisal of the medical literature and of the clinical decision-making process.

The single-patient clinical trial.

A single-patient clinical trial is useful in helping the physician decide whether a specific treatment is helpful or harmful in a specific case. The patient's problem must be chronic and stable, and there must be a clearly measurable end point. The close cooperation of the patient, the nurse and the pharmacist is required. In a situation that meets these prerequisites, a properly performed and analyzed single-patient study may be of great benefit.