Effects of teaching first-year medical students skills to read medical literature

A required first-year course at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, entitled Studying a Study: Methods for Reading the Medical Literature, was evaluated by the author to determine the students' perception of the course's effectiveness, changes in the students' perception of their competence in reading medical literature, the students' knowledge of research study design and statistics, and the effect of the course on the students' journal reading. Students who took the course were questioned before and after the course and as fourth-year students and were compared with fourth-year students in a prior class that had not been offered the course. Students rated the course as effective. The students who took the course rated themselves as more competent and had greater knowledge than did the class that did not take the course. These students' ratings and scores declined, however, from the first to the fourth year. A required preclinical course in study design and statistics can be well received and can affect students' knowledge and perceptions of their competence. Reinforcement is necessary to maintain the results.