Current curriculum and training program of evidence-based health care (EBHC) for undergraduate students: Taiwan’s experience

Article type
Authors
Huang Y1, Yang Y1, Lin C1, Tsai S1, Lin W1, Tsai J1
1National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
Abstract
Background: Although evidence-based medicine has been promoted for 20 years, there is considerable variation in the methods and evidence-based health care (EBHC) curriculum in executive and administrative aspect.

Objectives: To discover the problems encountered in teaching with current EBHC curriculum and in curriculum design in Taiwan.

Methods: We conducted a nation-wide medical and nursing schools questionnaire survey of the current status of the curriculum and training of evidence-based health care (EBHC) for undergraduate students.

Results: The questionnair return rate from 17 medical school, 68 administration unit and 388 executive department of teaching hospital was 94.1%, 63.2% and 47.7%. Among medical schools, 81.2% offered EBHC related curriculum. Among clinical departments, 74.3% provided teaching and training for undergraduate students where EBHC teaching was offered to clerks in 84.8% and to interns in 87.1%. The course evaluation was mainly based on feedback from students. The strategy for learning outcome assessment included written test, written report, oral presentation, ability of collecting and integrating information, presentation skill, attending of the course, the degree of participation and interaction. The cognition and attitude of Taiwan educators towards current EBHC program (Table 1) showed the items of over 90% agreement included helpful in clinical practice, helpful in clinical practice, improving the quality of health care, adjustment to the limitation of their hospitals in the application of EBHC in clinical work, and helpful in clinical decision and those between 80 and 90% included their clinical work being evidence-based, and acceptance of patients’ participant and opinion in clinical practice based on EBHC. The degree of satisfaction with the teaching of EBHC was 50% less in teaching hospital in comparison with that of in medical school.

Conclusions: These results will be valuable for the development of an EBHC centered new curriculum to promote the competency of EBHC for undergraduate medical and nursing students.