Fitness for Practice: How Can Junior Doctors Ensure They Keep Up To Date?

1. Volunteer “Champions” received training from NICE Cascade sessions to all 4th year students Champion scheme run by NICE Fitness for Practice: How Can Junior Doctors Ensure They Keep Up To Date? K Knight, R Wright, N Whybra University of Leicester Diagram representing the teaching cascade Student Utilisation and confidence before and after evidence search training Aim Producing medical students who are fit for purpose as junior doctors is a key consideration for medical schools. A recurring theme is remaining up-to-date in developments in professional knowledge and to be familiar with guidelines [1]. “Students must be aware of their responsibility to maintain their knowledge and skills throughout their careers.” Tomorrow’s Doctors Our aim was to assess the impact the nationally rolled-out NICE student champion scheme has had on medical students’ ability to confidently search for accredited guidelines and research, ultimately providing the skills required to maintain their knowledge and safety to practice as tomorrow’s doctors. To assess the effectiveness of these sessions, questionnaires were distributed to all students just before and three months after the teaching sessions, the results of which are summarised below. Conclusion Students regularly use web based resources to search for up to date guidelines and information, however the resources vary considerably in reliability and accuracy. The provision of a single education session improved students’ confidence in using the NICE Evidence Search. With improved knowledge and confidence of the search facility, students made more use of NICE Evidence Search. We conclude that using a cascade model of student education with regard to one specific tool, improves students knowledge and confidence in how to access up to date information, thus increasing both their fitness for practise and purpose. Method The NICE student champion scheme [3] aims to improve the routine use of evidence-based information’ for tomorrow’s Doctors, encouraging more widespread use of the NICE Evidence search portal; an online service providing free access to accredited guidelines, data and online links. The scheme utilises peer education to provide cascade sessions, increasing student’s knowledge of how to use the NICE Evidence website. The student champions organised presentations and interactive sessions which lasted approximately an hour and were compulsory to all 4th year (clinical phase) students. The champion scheme is currently run across 30 UK medical schools. This presentation focusses on the NICE Student Champion Scheme implemented at The University of Leicester. Further information is available from; http://www.nice.org.uk/getinvolved/studentchampions/StudentChampions.jsp • Results • Before attending the session, 60% of students had tried NICE Evidence, however only 34% felt confident using it. • After the session, 85% of students were either ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ searching for health and social care information using NICE evidence search. • Within 3 months of the session 82% of students had already used NICE evidence search for their studies and a further 15% planned to. • The main reasons students used NICE Evidence Search was for ‘pathological/diagnostic information’, ‘medicines/prescribing information’ and ‘evidence based recommendations and guidelines’ References: 1. Good Medical Practice. Available at: http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice.asp. Accessed 12/20, 2013. 2. Tomorrows Doctors. Available at: http://www.gmc-uk.org/education/undergraduate/tomorrows_doctors.asp. Accessed 12/20, 2013. 3. NICE. Available at: http://www.nice.org.uk/getinvolved/studentchampions/StudentChampions.jsp. Accessed 12/20, 2013.

3. Fitness for Practice: How Can Junior Doctors Ensure They Keep Up To Date? K Knight, R Wright, N Whybra University of Leicester Aims Producing medical students who are fit for purpose as junior doctors is a key consideration for medical schools. A recurring theme is remaining up-to-date in developments in professional knowledge and to be familiar with guidelines [1]. Current guidelines to medical schools such as Tomorrow’s Doctors [2] highlight the need for this to occur early in a student’s career stating, “students must be aware of their responsibility to maintain their knowledge and skills throughout their careers.’One way of maintaining up to date knowledge is through the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Evidence service, giving rapid access to evidence from a range of accredited sources, via a web-based portal. The “NICE Student Champion Scheme” [3] utilises peer education to provide cascade sessions, increasing student’s knowledge of how to use the NICE Evidence website. Method This presentation focusses on the NICE Student Champion Scheme implemented at a UK University. Sessions of between half an hour and an hour were compulsory to all 4th year (clinical phase) students, where they were taught how to use the NICE Evidence portal by students involved as NICE Champions. To assess the effectiveness of these sessions, questionnaires were distributed to all students just before and three months after the teaching sessions, the results of which are provided below. Results Before attending the session, 60% of students had tried NICE Evidence, however only 34% felt confident using it. After the session, 85% of students were either ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ searching for health and social care information using NICE evidence search. Within 3 months of the session 82% of students had already used NICE evidence search for their studies and a further 15% planned to. The main reasons students used NICE Evidence Search was for ‘pathological/diagnostic information’, ‘medicines/prescribing information’ and ‘evidence based recommendations and guidelines’ Conclusions Students regularly use web based resources to search for up to date guidelines and information, which vary considerably in reliability and accuracy. The provision of a single education session improved student’s confidence in using the Nice Evidence Search. With improved knowledge and confidence of the search facility, students made more use of Nice Evidence Search. We conclude that using a cascade model of student education with regard to one specific tool, improves students knowledge and confidence in how to access up to date information, thus increasing both their fitness for practise and purpose. References: 1. Good Medical Practice. Available at: http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice.asp. Accessed 12/20, 2013. 2. Tomorrows Doctors. Available at: http://www.gmc-uk.org/education/undergraduate/tomorrows_doctors.asp. Accessed 12/20, 2013. 3. NICE. Available at: http://www.nice.org.uk/getinvolved/studentchampions/StudentChampions.jsp. Accessed 12/20, 2013.

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