Twelve tips for teaching evidence-based physical examination

Practicing evidence-based physical examination (EBPE) requires clinicians to apply the diagnostic accuracy of PE findings in relation to a suspected disease. Though it is important to effectively teach EBPE, clinicians often find the topic challenging.

There are few resources available to guide clinicians on strategies to teach EBPE. We seek to fill that need by presenting tips for effectively teaching EBPE in the clinical context.

This report is based primarily on the authors' experience and is supported by the available literature.

We present 12 practical tips targeting the clinician educator. The first six tips condense key preparatory steps for the teacher, including basic statistics underpinning EBPE. The final six tips provide specific guidance on how to teach EBPE in the clinical environment.

By practicing the 12 tips provided, clinicians will develop the confidence needed to effectively teach EBPE in inpatient or outpatient settings.