This is a poster for a presentation at the virtual Midwest/MCMLA Joint Annual Meeting on October 15, 2021

Gillette, Chris

Heer, Brittany

McDaniel, M. Jane

Roman, Chis

English

Digital Commons @ Butler University

Butler University Digital Commons @ Butler University Scholarship and Professional Work University Libraries 10-15-2021 Didactic Physician Assistant Students’ Perceptions of Evidence-Based Medicine Resources Brittany Heer Chris Gillette Chis Roman M. Jane McDaniel Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/librarian_papers  Part of the Health Sciences and Medical Librarianship Commons DIDACTIC PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE RESOURCES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL EXAMINATION BRITTANY R. HEER, MLIS (1); CHRIS GILLETTE, PHD (2); CHRIS ROMAN, DMS, PA-C (3); M. JANE MCDANIEL, MS,MLS(ASCP)SC (4) (1) BUTLER UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES (2) WAKE FOREST SCHOOL OF MEDICINEDEPARTMENT OF PA STUDIES(3) BUTLER UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OFPA STUDIES(4) YALE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE PHYSICIANASSISTANT ONLINE PROGRAM INTRODUCTIONEvidence-based medicine (EBM) instruction is required for physician assistant students. Thisstudy seeks to understand which EBM resources PA students find most and least useful andtheir self-efficacy in searching and appraising medical literature.RESULTSEighty-seven students completed the questionnaire (39.5%response rate). Students ranked UpToDate as their mostpreferred tool and ranked TRIP as their least preferred tool,shown in Figure 1. For all of the identified resources,students positively rated each resource they had used, withthe mean for each item for each source rated betweenneutral-good on a 5-point Likert scale. The most importantattributes reported were ease of use/search, informationpresentation, and reliability/quality of sources, shown inFigure 2. After one EBM course, on average, students ratedtheir self-efficacy searching the literature (M=3.2, SD=0.6)and appraising the literature (M=3.1, SD=0.8) as ‘moderatelyconfident’, shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4, respectively. OBJECTIVEThe objectives of this study were to: (1) identify which EBM resources didactic PA students find most and least useful, (2) examine PA student preferences regarding choosing an EBM resource, and (3) evaluate PA student self-efficacy and outcomes expectations of EBM in patient care.SELECTED REFERENCES1. White DM, Stephens P. State of Evidence-Based Practice in Physician Assistant Education. JPhysician Assist Educ. 2018;29(1):12-18. doi: 10.1097/JPA.00000000000001832. Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). AccreditationStandards for Physician Assistant Education. 5th ed. Johns Creek, GA: ARC-PA; 2020.3. Stack MA, DeLellis NO, Boeve W, Satonik R. Effects of Teaching Evidence-Based Medicine onPhysician Assistant Students′ Critical Appraisal, Self-Efficacy, and Clinical Application: A RandomizedControlled Trial. J Physician Assist Educ. 2020;31(3):159-165. doi:10.1097/JPA.0000000000000313 METHODOLOGYThis study was approved by the Butler University InstitutionalReview Board (IRB) and the Yale University IRB. A cross-sectional, observational design was used to accomplish theobjectives. We used the Strengthening the Reporting ofObservational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement toguide the reporting of this project. A convenience sample ofstudents at three geographically diverse PA programscompleted an online survey, hosted by Qualtrics, at theconclusion of their didactic EBM training. The survey examinedpreferences for commonly used databases, (e.g., PubMed,Dynamed+, UpToDate), and self-efficacy in searching/appraisingthe literature using 5-point Likert scales. Students also rankedtheir preferred databases. Thematic analysis identified the mostimportant student-reported attributes of a resource. ANALYSISWhile there are many EBM tools and resources available across the participating institutions, didactic PA students gravitated toward afew particular resources, specifically UpToDate and PubMed, regardless of institutional location. When analyzing the most importantattributes of an EBM tool, the results indicated that didactic PA students overwhelmingly valued ease of use/search, how theinformation was presented, and reliability/quality of the sources. Lastly, the majority of students rated their self-efficacy in bothsearching and appraising the literature as "moderately confident."CONCLUSIONPA students in this sample preferred UpToDate and PubMed as their top EBM tools. However, each tool included in this studyreceived positive feedback, despite a low usage rate across institutions. This suggests that instructors and librarians have anopportunity to expose students to more tools as well as encourage “the right tool for the right job.” Survey results indicate that PAstudents value ease of use above all else, which can inform both educators and designers of EBM tools.Figure 1: Student-Reported Ranking of Most Preferred EBM Resources (n=87)Figure 2: Most Important Attributes of EBM Resources (n=87)Figure 3: Confidence Searching the Medical Literature (n=87)Figure 4: Critical Appraisal Confidence (n=87)

Didactic Physician Assistant Students’ Perceptions of Evidence-Based Medicine Resources

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Didactic Physician Assistant Students’ Perceptions of Evidence-Based Medicine Resources

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