Prescribers' Knowledge and Skills for Interpreting Research Results: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Research Methodology
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Physician prescribing practices are influenced by their ability to interpret medical research.
• Critical appraisal skills involve understanding statistical methods, study biases, and evidence validity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize research on prescribers' critical appraisal knowledge and skills.
• To evaluate the relationship between critical appraisal abilities and prescribing behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of studies from 1990-2015 in the US, UK, and Canada.
• Inclusion of studies measuring critical appraisal knowledge, skills, attitudes, or behaviors in prescribers.
• Narrative synthesis of data from 29 selected studies.

Main Results:

• Physicians' critical appraisal knowledge and skills were generally low to moderate.
• Formal education in epidemiology and biostatistics correlated with higher skill levels.
• Relative effect measures, compared to absolute measures, increased perceived effectiveness and prescribing intent.

Conclusions:

• Physicians' critical appraisal skills are often insufficient for optimal evidence interpretation.
• The choice of effect measure significantly influences perceptions of treatment efficacy and prescribing decisions.
• Further research is needed to understand how critical appraisal skills integrate with other factors influencing prescribing behavior.