Cargando...
Undergraduate courses of evidence-based medicine in Peruvian medical schools: Characteristics and addressed topics
Author(s)
Alarcon-Ruiz, Christoper A.
Universidad Científica del Sur
Taype-Rondán, Álvaro Renzo
Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola
Date Issued
30 de enero de 2023
Type
Article
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd
Volume
9
Issue
2
Series/Report No.
Heliyon
Contained in
Heliyon
ISSN
2405-8440
Abstract
Background Medical schools are increasingly including evidence-based medicine (EBM) courses in their curricula. However, little is known about the characteristics of these courses in Peru. Therefore, the present study aimed to describe the characteristics and topics addressed by undergraduate courses on EBM in Peruvian medical schools, and to compare the content of these courses with predefined EBM competencies. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study. We obtained the syllabi of undergraduate EBM courses from all medical schools for the latest year available. We extracted their characteristics and categorized the topics they included according to the five steps necessary to apply EBM, divided into 22 competencies. Results In 2021, Peru had 47 universities with active undergraduate medical schools, of which 9 (19.1%) had EBM courses. These courses were not mandatory in three of the universities, and were typically offered between the 2nd and 5th year of the degree program. When analysing the topics covered in the syllabi, we found that they addressed 7 to 13 of the 22 core competencies evaluated. The least addressed topics belonged to steps 4 (apply) and 5 (evaluate) of the EBM process. Conclusion We found that few Peruvian universities offer EBM courses, and that these courses have heterogeneous characteristics, with syllabi that do not include all essential topics for applying the five steps of EBM.