Michael Allen (Continuing Medical Education, Dalhousie University);
Pam McLean-Veysey (Drug Evaluation Unit, Capital Health Pharmacy Department)
Summary
Participants will learn the importance of presenting research evidence in CME programs and how to extract data from clinical trial publications. Using a recently developed online tool, they will calculate absolute and relative terms of treatment effect (relative risk reduction, absolute risk reduction, number needed to treat) and create PowerPoint slides.
Purpose
Putting evidence from clinical research into practice is complex and requires that physicians have complete unbiased knowledge of the safety and efficacy of new therapies. The National Institutes of Health recommends that results of clinical trials be conveyed to physicians accurately i.e., in absolute terms such as number needed to treat as well as relative terms such as relative risk reduction. Our own research has found that absolute terms are seldom presented in CME programs even though family physician-learners recognize the importance of knowing absolute treatment effects. The purpose of this workshop is to teach participants how to use an online tool we have developed that calculates absolute risk reduction, relative risk reduction, and number needed to treat from data found in clinical trial publications and exports the results to a PowerPoint template.
Format
We will briefly review results of our research and then participants will have hands-on experience using the online tool by working through some examples from clinical trial publications. Participants will have to bring their laptops and we will need access to a wireless network.
Expected Outcomes
Participants will learn the importance of presenting research evidence completely and how to extract data from clinical trial publications. Using the online tool, they will calculate absolute and relative terms and create PowerPoint slides. Participants who teach in CME programs can use this knowledge in their teaching. CME providers can teach their faculty how to use the online tool and so improve their programs.
Funding Source
Development of this tool was funded by a CIHR Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Knowledge Translation Supplement.
