Perceptions and Competence in Evidence-Based Medicine: A Survey of the American Urological Association Membership

Abstract

The findings of this survey confirm that urologists have a favorable attitude toward evidence-based medicine. However, understanding of evidence-based medicine terminology, concepts and use of related resources among American Urological Association members leaves room for improvement. Increased efforts to promote an understanding of evidence-based medicine through workshops, publications and web based resources specifically for a urological audience appear indicated.

Clinicians’ self-perceived competency in evidence-based practice at Zagazig University Hospitals, Egypt

“…In our study, users have significantly higher overall mean score in self-perceived terminology understanding compared with nonusers (P = 0.000), and this score was satisfactory compared with the nonusers' score (Table 4). These findings are similar to those of previous studies examining doctors' perceptions of their own comprehension of EBM [19,20,24]. It is worth mentioning that, in the present study as well as in similar previous ones, answers to questions on EBM knowledge did not reflect the actual knowledge but perceived knowledge, which could be biased.…”

“…A self-administrated, specifically tailored questionnaire adapted from previously validated relevant study tools assessing self-perceptions and competence in EBM was used [3,[18][19][20][21]. The initially developed questionnaire was tested on a sample of 15 physicians (they were not included in the final analysis) to estimate the sample size and evaluate the content validity, clarity, and applicability of the study tool.…”

“…It was assessed using 10 statistical terms commonly observed in research papers: relative risk, number needed to treat, systematic review, P-value, confidence interval, randomization, sensitivity, likelihood ratio, and metaanalysis. We also added one fictitious term (coincidence bias) to assess their actual understanding as was done in two previous studies [20,22]. Responses to each term were scored as follows: 1, do not understand but would like to; 2, some understanding; and 3, understand and could explain to others.…”

Evidence‐Based Medicine in Otolaryngology, Part 2

“…Studies of general surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and urologists show that respondents from these fields seem to fare better (Figure 1) when surveyed by the same methods. [19][20][21] In these studies, surgeons self-selected whether they "understood and could explain to others," "somewhat understood," "had no understanding," or "no interest in understanding" commonly used terms in clinical studies or their descriptions. There is currently no strong direct, comprehensive, or comparative evidence regarding the capability of our body of otolaryngology practitioners and trainees in the area of EBM.…”

How to critically appraise a clinical practice guideline

“…[1] They are widely accepted in the urology community with multiple professional organizations such as the American Urological Association and the European Urological Association investing heavily in their development and dissemination. [23]…”