Education and training in evidence-based urology

Abstract

Objectives: Urologists believe evidence-based clinical practice improves patient care. Competence in critical appraisal skills is necessary to successfully implement evidence-based practice. However, practicing urologists, urology program training directors, and residents have identified the need for urology-specific resources to promote competence in evidence-based practice. The objective of this review is to identify urology-specific educational resources for critical appraisal skills.

Methods: The PubMed(®) database was searched using the terms "evidence-based urology", "training" and "medical education." Results were limited to systematic reviews. Reference lists for manuscripts were manually searched to identify additional relevant publications. Additional educational resources and training opportunities were identified via direct communication with authors.

Results: New urology-specific educational resources are being developed to support evidence-based clinical practice. Resources exist in the medical literature, including the User's Guide to the Urological Literature series and the Evidence-Based Urology in Practice series. Electronic resources include the Evidence Based Reviews in Urology program sponsored by the American Urological Association. Finally, workshops exist for live training to develop expertise in teaching EBM skills to others.

Conclusion: Educational support for the nascent evidence-based clinical practice movement in urology is growing. Journals provide the majority of urology-specific educational material for evidence-based medicine training. Additional online and live training opportunities should be developed to encourage competence and leadership in evidence-based urology.