Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Infectious Disease Residents of Shahid Beheshti Medical University regarding Evidence-Based Medicine

Background and purpose: The characteristics of residents of infectious diseases who should practice and teach evidence based medicine (EBM) during their clinical work – and their attitudes toward it – are poorly known. We assessed the knowledge, attitude and practice of infectious diseases residents regarding evidence based medicine and their related educational needs.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during February 2007. Residents of infectious diseases from Shahid Beheshti medical university received a self-administered questionnaire and all of them participated in the study. Their attitude on EBM, their ability to access online resources, and their understanding of relevant terminology were assessed.Results: Thirty four residents responded and returned the questionnaire. Most respondents showed welcoming attitude towards EBM. The median value for the estimated percentage of the residents' clinical practice that was evidence based was 50%. Only one had received training in EBM and none was educated about critical appraisal. The median number of Medline search for management of patients was 4 times in the last year and most residents were even unaware of EBM resources. Although more than 80% had some understanding about terms like relative risk and odds ratio, the understanding was less than 50% for technical terms such as systematic review and meta-analysis.Conclusions: We recommend that university teaching programs should promote and incorporate EBM training in all levels of medical education.