Accreditation Course in Evidence-Based Medicine: Part I. Assessing Studies of Treatment

Why take EBM I?

• Better understand the statistics reports in studies of treatment and how they can be used and misused to influence your decision making in selecting treatments for your patients.
• Appreciate the strengths and limitations of different types of studies and determine when you can trust that the reported outcomes might also apply to your practice.
• Identify the biases that plague studies and learn to separate fact from fiction.
• For IPSIS volunteers, successful completion of the online course, small group activity, and accreditation exam will satisfy the EBM I training requirement.

This online course consists of didactic videos on the principles of evidence, statistical tools for the analysis of evidence, and categorization of studies. Each module is followed by a test to assess participants’ understanding of concepts presented. It is accompanied by a small group online discussion led by experienced EBM faculty. Participants who successfully complete all modules, tests, and the small group online discussion will earn up to 7.5 hours of CME.

Those participants who are also interested in obtaining IPSIS EBM accreditation are required to complete an accreditation examination at the completion of the online course and the small group online discussion covering principles, the calculation of statistics, and the critical appraisal of studies of treatment. Participants who successfully demonstrate competence on the examination will obtain International Pain & Spine Intervention Society EBM accreditation in the appraisal of evidence in studies of treatment.

This course is free for IPSIS members. Register today and improve your ability to critically assess research and its appropriate impact on your practice.

© 2018 International Pain & Spine Intervention Society – All Rights Reserved
Materials presented in this activity have been made available by the International Pain & Spine Intervention Society for educational purposes only. We reserve all rights to such material.

Learning Goals
To enhance patient care by providing participants with skills necessary to critically assess studies of treatment and implement an evidence-based approach to clinical decision making.

Educational Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Describe and calculate basic statistics and identify how statistics are used and misused in studies of treatment;
• Identify types of therapeutic studies and evaluate the strengths and limitations of each study design;
• Distinguish confounding variables and explain how they introduce bias into studies; and
• Critically appraise studies of treatment, identifying methodological limitations and their influence on study conclusions.

Disclosure Information
Activity Reviewers: Byron J. Schneider, MD; Clark C. Smith, MD, MPH; Ronald Wasserman, MD
None of the reviewers had any financial relationships with ACCME-defined ineligible companies to disclose.

Accreditation Statement
The International Pain & Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation Statement  
IPSIS designates this enduring material for a maximum of 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Commercial Support
No commercial support was received for this activity.

Original Release Date: 05/15/2018
Original Author and Planner: Nikolai Bogduk, MD, PhD
Nothing to disclose

Renewal Date: 05/11/2024
Expiration Date: 05/10/2027