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How to Teach Evidence-Based |
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Workshop tuition is $3,000.00 (CDN); or $2,546.00 (US), which includes 7% General Sales Tax (GST # R119 035 988). What is Evidence-Based Clinical Practice? Evidence based clinical practice (EBCP) is an approach to health care practice that explicitly acknowledges the evidence that bears on each patient management decision, the strength of that evidence, the benefits and risk of alternative management strategies, and the role of patients’ values and preferences in trading off those benefits and risks. Why Are Evidence and Values or Preferences Important? Daily, clinicians confront questions about the interpretation of diagnostic tests, the harm associated with exposure to an agent, the prognosis of a disease in a specific patient, the effectiveness of a preventive or therapeutic intervention, and the costs and clinical consequences of many other decisions. Both clinicians and policy makers need to know whether the conclusions of a systematic review are valid, and whether recommendations in practice guidelines are sound. The tradeoffs between risks and benefits are often finely balanced. Patients with differing values and preference will make different choices. Members of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University, in collaboration with other colleagues trained in both medicine and in clinical epidemiology, have developed a set of common sense strategies to assist in the critical appraisal of evidence. They have also developed approaches to explicitly considering values and preferences in clinical decision-making, thereby encouraging the practice of EBCP. Workshop Objectives Workshop Format The workshop is offered as a one-week intensive course. Participants will be learning in small groups led by clinical epidemiologists and practitioners from McMaster and other institutions. The workshop will consist of small and large group sessions, individual study time and opportunities for workshop participants to lead teaching sessions using their own ideas, materials, and reflecting their own experiences. Workshop Participants Some course participants will come with a basic understanding of the principles of EBCP. These individuals will be as interested in deepening their understanding of these principles as they are in learning new teaching strategies. Other participants will have extensive experience and a deep understanding of the principles, and will be coming to advance their teaching skills. Still others will have intermediate skills. To accommodate everyone’s needs, we will try to create a number of groups with different emphases. "Atencion: en esta ocasion volvemos a ofrecer un grupo para participantes provenientes de paises de habla hispana. Todas las discusiones se conduciran en espanol aunque los materiales seran los originales en ingles." For participants coming from spanish speaking countries, we can accomodate you in our spanish tutorial small groups. Workshop Materials Prior to the workshop, participants will be sent an electronic copy and for those who want it, also receive a hard copy of educational materials that include literature on teaching critical appraisal and EBCP, the small group learning format, and a set of clinical problems. We expect participants to familiarize themselves with this material in advance of the workshop and to arrive prepared to role-play teaching settings that they have encountered and in which they wish to improve their performance. Travel, Facilities and Accommodation The workshop will be held in McMaster University’s Health Sciences Centre. Upon confirmation of a definite placement in the workshop from the EBCP office, you will receive a formal letter, access to the website and, if you wish, hard copy of the Workshop Planning Guide and background and introductory materials will be provided with general information regarding specifics of the workshop, accommodation and travel. TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION ARRANGEMENTS ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE REGISTRANT. Modest accommodation is available on campus. Other accommodations are available in city hotels, 10-30 minutes away by foot, bus or car. McMaster Accommodation Information Airways Transit Door-to-Door Shuttle Service Tutorial Group Selection Syllabus The following will help you select the appropriate level of tutorial group for you: Category A: You feel there are important gaps in your understanding of the principles of critical appraisal. You often feel uncertain of yourself when teaching, and wonder whether you’ve got it right when you critically appraise an article or whether you’ve missed something important. You are looking for a tutorial group in which a substantial amount of the time is spent on understanding critical appraisal. Category B: You are comfortable with critical appraisal issues, but don’t consider yourself expert. You have done a fair bit of teaching in the area, and are looking for a tutorial in which some time will be spent on content issues, but the majority of the time will be spent on evidence based teaching techniques. Category C: You have lots of experience and expertise, perhaps with formal training in clinical epidemiology or a related field. You are looking for a tutorial in which the overwhelming proportion of the time is spent on teaching evidence based clinical practice. |