The present time the proper medical practice, healthcare organizations and research activity requires the ability to critically and competently evaluate the results of the latest scientific and clinical research. It is necessary to stimulate the clinical and scientific thinking of the students, the use of interdisciplinary approaches for the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Currently, evidence-based medicine is a mandatory educational discipline for the third year students in accordance with Kazakhstan educational standards. Semey State Medical University actively implements of the method of integration of disciplines «Internal Medicine» and «Evidence-based medicine» to improve the skills of students in determining the optimal methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease in a particular patient in a concrete situation. The forms of such integration could be different. They include
1. Selection of optimal methods of diagnosis, treatment, prevention using case based learning method (CBL). In the clinical department the students under the guidance of teacher perform examination of the patient, an analysis of the examination results, define the clinical problem and discuss the reasonable tactic for examination and treatment. Then they confirm their opinion using the databases of evidence based medicine. For the searching of the necessary information the students use method (patient/population, intervention, comparison, outcome), define the key words to search the proper scientific based information in the different data bases including PubMed, MEDLINE, EBSCO, International Clinical guidance. Our students have very good possibility to use The Cochrane library. Then the students demonstrate the found information, discuss it and analyze the results of work.
2. Using the knowledge of evidence-based medicine in the independent student work for the description of clinical cases, presentations and essay.
3. Demonstration of knowledge in the clinical conferences and clinical symposia for discussion the most difficult and controversial clinical situations. In this case, the assessment of evidence-based medicine knowledge and skills is held by the expert in the field of evidence-based medicine
Analysis of the feedback from the students showed that almost 100 % of them said that integration of evidence-based medicine and internal medicine is helpful to improve their knowledge and understanding in the field of study, research skills, critical and clinical thinking, 80 % said that such learning improves their communication skills and teamwork skills. Only 10 % of students reported difficulty in finding of relevant information due to lack of good knowledge of English.
The work is submitted to the International Scientific Conference «Implementation of integrated model of educational institutions, implements educational programs different levels of education», Republic of Singapore, December, 10–17, 2013, came to the editorial office оn 18.11.2013.