Medical Students’ Evaluation of Scientific Evidence and Their Justifications for Their Clinical Decisions: a Pilot Study

Christina Cestone, Rachel Lewis, Judith F. Aronson, Celia Chao

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Medical school curricula teach students to apply scientific evidence for clinical decision-making. Research on whole-task evidence-based decision-making suggests that appraisal of scientific evidence is a challenge for trainees. This pilot study aimed to link medical students’ (MS) appraisal of scientific literature with clinical decision-making to inform future EBM instruction. Fifty-three MS evaluated scientific evidence and provided justifications for their clinical decisions. The MS group (n = 29) receiving more detailed evidence made a correct clinical decision against breast surgery (20; 69%) versus the comparison group (14; 58%; p <.05). MS justified their decisions predominantly on the evidence provided and personal experience.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)587-590
Number of pages4
JournalMedical Science Educator
Volume28
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 15 2018

Keywords

  • Clinical decision-making medical curriculum
  • Evidence-based medicine
  • Scientific text comprehension

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Education

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Medical Students’ Evaluation of Scientific Evidence and Their Justifications for Their Clinical Decisions: a Pilot Study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this