[Survey on evidence-based medicine teaching activities in the German-speaking area: a target-group specific analysis]

A survey conducted in 2011/12 on evidence-based medicine teaching activities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland shows an apparent increase of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching activities addressing different target groups. The potential target-group specific or generalised nature of teaching activities in EbM were explored by comparing the contents and structures of educational offers in order to detect differences and commonalities.

First, several large institutions of the healthcare system were contacted. In addition, the participants of the EbM Academy were consulted as key informants, and the members of the German-speaking colleges of general practitioners and the German Network for EBM were asked to identify potential providers of EbM teaching activities. In the second step pretested detailed questionnaires were sent out that allowed a target-group specific analysis of contents, structures and didactic methods.

Altogether, 185 teaching activities in EbM are described; 117 (6.8%) of these address students, 70 (37.8%) physicians and 55 (29.7%) caregivers and members of other healthcare professions. Further target groups include people interested in the healthcare system with a total of 38 (i.e., 20.5%) and patients with 18 (9.7%) teaching activities (multiple responses allowed). Students are mainly taught in obligatory seminars, courses or lectures with a high number of participants, whereas teaching activities addressing other target groups are mostly offered to small groups of participants in the form of optional seminars, courses or workshops lasting a similar length of time. As regards the content, attendees from all target groups with only little previous knowledge are taught the first three steps of EbM according to Sackett. Specialised contents are not distributed evenly and reveal some adaptation to the respective target groups.

Structural differences between the target groups are most likely attributed to distinct framework conditions in education and career. Parallels in content demonstrate high rates of conformity concerning the teaching of basic knowledge, though, while individually selecting particular focus areas of special expertise.