Article
Didactic Physician Assistant Students’ Perceptions of Evidence-Based Medicine Resources: A Preliminary Investigation
Medical Reference Services Quarterly
(2022)
Abstract
Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) instruction is required for physician Assistant (PA) students. This pilot study surveyed didactic PA students at three geographically diverse PA programs at the end of their didactic EBM course to understand which attributes of EBM resources they find most and least useful, and their self-efficacy in searching and appraising medical literature. Thematic analysis identified the most important student-reported attributes of a resource. PA students in this sample preferred UpToDate and PubMed as their top EBM tools based on attribute ratings. However, each database included in this pilot study received positive feedback, despite a low usage rate across institutions. The most important attributes were ease of use/search, information presentation, and conclusion/critical appraisal skill. After one EBM course, on average, students rated their self-efficacy searching the literature and appraising the literature as “moderately confident.” This suggests that instructors and librarians have an opportunity to expose students to more tools as well as encourage “the right tool for the right job.”
Keywords
- Bibliographic database,
- didactic instruction,
- Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM),
- evidence-based practice,
- information-seeking behavior,
- Physician Assistant (PA),
- physician assistant student,
- preference study,
- self-efficacy,
- user experience
Disciplines
Publication Date
November 17, 2022
DOI
10.1080/02763869.2022.2131138
Publisher Statement
This is a link an article published by Taylor & Francis in Medical Reference Services Quarterly on November 17, 2022, available online: here.
Citation Information
Brittany Heer, Chris Gillette, Christopher T. Roman and M. Jane McDaniel. "Didactic Physician Assistant Students’ Perceptions of Evidence-Based Medicine Resources: A Preliminary Investigation" Medical Reference Services Quarterly Vol. 44 Iss. 4 (2022) p. 347 - 362 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/brittany-heer/7/