Improving searching skills and evidence retrieval

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a three-hour training session in formu lating questions and searching databases. Design: A randomised controlled trial and before and after study, with blin ded outcome assessment. Setting: Oxford University Medical School, first clinical year. Subjects: Altogether 108 medical students were randomly assigned to an expe rimental group (54) or a control group (54), and all were given the task of searching for evidence around an ulcer related problem or a cardiac proble m. Students in the experimental group were randomly allocated to research o ne of the two problems before training and the remaining problem afterwards . Control students received no training and were randomly allocated to sear ch for evidence around either of these problems. Main outcome measures: Searching performance; the quality of evidence retri eved; student satisfaction. Results: Training improved the students' search performance and the quality of evidence retrieved. Students' satisfaction with the training was high. Conclusions: A three-hour interactive training session improved the student s' ability to search databases and retrieve evidence and was well received by the students.