Obstetrics and Gynecology Ultrasound and Evidence-based Medicine in Medical Education

Abstract

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. Despite improvement in knowledge, technology, effective medical therapies and ample practice guidelines, the practice of medicine in all specialties including obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) continues to lag behind along with alarming rate of medical errors. Similarly, ultrasonography is rapidly expanding in the practice of medicine across many specialties but standardized requirements and ultrasound curricula for residency training in obstetrics and gynecology are still lacking.EBM is a required component of the curriculum of medical education at all levels but still does not have a firm foothold in the practice of medicine in the United States and other countries because of barriers. There are many proposed changes to improve the efficacy of current teaching of EBM and ultrasound including an early introduction in preclinical curriculum and integration of a longitudinal EBM-ultrasound training in the continuum of medical education.We present a case of postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) which was managed according to the traditional way, and review of EBM literature to contrast differences in clinical decision of two clinical approaches.