A descriptive analysis of a novel intervention to help residents become evidence users

To evaluate the educational and clinical effectiveness of the 'Brief Evidence-Based Assessment of Research' (BEAR), a template to assist residents in searching, evaluating and integrating relevant medical literature into daily practice.

We completed a descriptive analysis of BEARs submitted by first year residents between 2005 and 2007 at the University of Alberta Family Medicine Residency program.

317 BEARs were analyzed. The most common type of question for which information was searched was therapy (59%). Residents searched Pubmed most often (38%) followed by Summary (i.e. Clinical Evidence) (22%) and Filtered sites (i.e. ACP Journal Club) (19%). Original research articles were the largest resource category used to answer questions (41%). Secondary peer-reviewed resources (filtered articles, summary sites, reviews/meta-analysis and guidelines) accounted for 48% of all resources used. 19% of residents reported a large change in practice with completion of the BEAR, 50% reported a small change, 12% stated they were reassured and 8% reported that the intervention was of no help to them.

The BEAR facilitates the use of a variety of resources in answering clinical questions. 69% of users reported at least a small change in clinical practice, suggesting that the BEAR may be a useful tool in evidence-based resident education.