Is critical thinking potential correlated to critical appraisal skills of medical literature?

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Published Oct 29, 2023
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Vol. 101 No. 7 (2023): Tunis med jul 2023

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Mona Mlika
Department of Pathology,Trauma and Major Burn Center Ben Arous, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis ,University of Tunis El Manar. Laboratory research: LR18SP06
Abdelmajid Naceur
Higher Institute of Education ISEFC – Tunis. Research Unit ECOTIDI (UR 16E S10)
Georges Kpazai
Laurentian University. Canada
Faouzi El Mezni
Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Laboratory research: LR18SP06
Lilia Zakhama
Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar
Iheb Labbene
Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar
Mohamed Jouini
Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar

Abstract

Introduction: Critical appraisal of medical literature is a mandatory skill to practice evidence-based medicine. 


Aim: To assess the relation of critical thinking potential to critical appraisal of medical literature competencies. 


Methods: This was a mixed study associating a quantitative and a qualitative approach. It included second year (SYME), third year (TYME) and postgraduate medical students (CME) and family doctors (FD) from the same faculty of medicine. All the students received the same active training focused on critical appraisal of medical literature. They were asked to fulfil a pre-requisite test and a self-assessment questionnaire before the training session and a final test after the training. The self-assessment questionnaire was conceived by an expert committee and assessed the main characteristics of critical thinking consisting of sensitivity to context, self-correction and search for criteria. Three months after the training, the students were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. 


Results: 58.9% of the students presented a high critical thinking potential profile. Their scores varied according to their levels with better scores in SYME and FD and intermediate scores in TYME and CME. The pre-requisite test scores varied according to the critical thinking profile and the level. Final test scores didn’t differ according to the critical thinking profile or the level.


Conclusion: Our results put emphasis on the variation of the critical thinking potential according to the students’ levels and the necessity of changing curriculum in order to enhance the sensitivity and the inclination of the students.

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