"Mini-Medical School for Librarians": from needs assessment to educational outcomes.

PURPOSE: This study evaluates the outcomes of the "Mini-Medical School for Librarians" or "Medical School Experience," a continuing education symposium designed to improve librarians' understanding of medicine and medical education. SUBJECTS: The subjects are the symposium participants, a group that consisted of fifty-eight medical librarians and other information professionals. METHODOLOGY: Pre- and post-symposium self-evaluation surveys gauged participants' self-assessed confidence with the course content. A follow-up survey was administered six months after the symposium. A learning action plan recorded both the intended and actual applications of course content to professional settings. RESULTS: T-test analysis of paired pre- and post-symposium responses reveal a significant positive change in the mean self-assessed confidence with course content immediately following the symposium. Pairings of post-symposium and follow-up survey responses indicate a slight reversal in attendees' confidence in the months following the symposium, but pairings of pre-symposium and follow-up survey results demonstrate that the longitudinal impact of the program on self-assessed confidence with course content was positive and significant. Analysis of the learning action plan revealed a disparity in how participants planned to use the information they learned in the course and how they actually used it. CONCLUSIONS: Continuing education programs that address the content and structure of medicine can be an effective means by which to inform both the novice's and mid-career medical librarian's understanding of medicine and medical education.

Effect of a brief intervention on evidence-based medicine skills of pediatric residents.

BACKGROUND: While Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) skills are increasingly being taught in medical schools, teaching quality has been insufficient, so that incoming pediatric residents lack adequate EBM skills required for patient care. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief teaching module developed to improve EBM skills of pediatric residents. METHODS: With-in subjects study design with pre- and post-test evaluation was performed in a large urban pediatric residency training program in Brooklyn, New York. We included PGY-1s during intern orientation, while second and third year pediatric residents were selected based on schedule availability. Sixty-nine residents were enrolled into the study, 60 (87%) completed the training. An EBM training module consisting of three or four weekly two-hour seminars was conducted. The module was designed to teach core EBM skills including (1) formulating answerable clinical questions, (2) searching the evidence, (3) critical appraisal skills including validity and applicability, and (4) understanding levels of evidence and quantitative results for therapy articles. A portion of the Fresno test of competence in EBM was used to assess EBM skills. The test presented a clinical scenario that was followed by nine short answer questions. One to three questions were used to assess EBM skills for each of the four core skills. The kappa co-efficient for inter-rater reliability was 0.74 (95% CI: 0.56-0.92). RESULTS: Prior to the training module, the residents achieved a mean score of 17% correct overall. Post intervention, the mean score increased to 63% with improvement in each EBM category. A mean of 4.08 more questions (out of 9) were answered correctly after the training (95% CI of 3.44-4.72). CONCLUSION: A brief training module was effective in improving EBM skills of pediatric residents.