[The implementation of evidence-based medicine in general practice-acceptance and use of external information...

The demand for, and the potential of, evidence-based medicine (EBM) in everyday general practice have not been studied systematically yet.

For six months we offered all general practitioners (n = 190) practising in one of Berlin's city districts to conduct a systematic search for, and critical assessment of, the medical literature on any patient-related questions that participating physicians might have had. The primary aim of the study was to motivate general practitioners to ask patient-related questions and, in the long run, to integrate EBM into their medical practice. At the end of the project, attitudes towards EBM were assessed using standardized questionnaires.

Only four questions, all referring to the field of therapy/prevention, were asked by the general practitioners in the district in which we offered our services. The average time required to supply an answer was 6.25 hours. For the subsequent evaluation of the service, the response rate was 34%. Reasons for not taking advantage of the service included lack of time, doubts about how the questioner would benefit from the service, and "being unaware" of the offering.

Only rarely did general practitioners make use of the research service offered. The reasons included lack of time and the general practitioners' doubts that the service would be of benefit to their patients. In addition, we cannot exclude the possibility that the project may not have been adequately integrated into physicians' everyday practice. Nevertheless, the participants indicated that they were interested in EBM and that they considered scientific or evidence-based information to be relevant to the care of patients. This is why it is important to develop some type of continuing medical education model that can be effectively integrated into everyday medical practice.