Self Evaluation Approaches

To use the online logbook, see the Self-Evaluation page.

Self-evaluation in asking answerable questions

1. Am I asking any clinical questions at all?
2. Am I asking well-formulated (3-part) questions?
3. Am I using a "map" to locate my knowledge gaps and articulate questions?
4. Can I get myself unstuck when asking questions?
5. Do I have a working method to save my questions for later answering?
6. Is my success rate of asking answerable questions rising?
7. Am I modeling the asking of answerable questions for my learners?
8. Am I writing any educational prescriptions in my teaching? Are they being filled?
9. Are we incorporating question asking and answering into everyday activities?
10. How well am I guiding my learners in their question asking?
11. Are my learners writing educational prescriptions for me?

Self-evaluation in finding the best external evidence

1. Am I searching at all?
2. Do I know the best sources of current evidence for my clinical discipline?
3. Have I achieved immediate access to searching hardware, software and the best evidence for my clinical discipline?
4. Am I finding useful external evidence from a widening array of sources?
5. Am I becoming more efficient in my searching?
6. Am I using MeSH headings, thesaurus, limiters, and intelligent, free text when searching MEDLINE?
7. How do my searches compare with those of research librarians or other respected colleagues who have a passion for providing best current patient care?

Self-evaluation in critically appraising the evidence for its validity and potential usefulness

1. Am I critically appraising external evidence at all?
2. Are the critical appraisal guides becoming easier for me to apply?
3. Am I becoming more accurate and efficient in applying some of the critical appraisal measures? (such as likelihood ratios, and NNTs)
4. Am I creating any CATs?

Self-evaluation in integrating the critical appraisal with clinical expertise and applying the result in clinical practice

1. Am I integrating my critical appraisals into my practice at all?
2. Am I becoming more accurate and efficient in adjusting some of the critical appraisal measures to fit my individual patients? (such as pretest probabilities, NNTs etc)
3. Can I explain (and resolve) disagreements about management decisions in terms of this integration?
4. Have I conducted any clinical decision analyses?
5. Have I carried out any audits of my diagnostic, therapeutic or other EBM performance?

Self-evaluation in teaching EBM

1. When did I last issue an educational prescription? Am I helping my trainees learn how to ask answerable questions?
2. Am I teaching and modeling searching skills?
3. Am I teaching and modeling critical appraisal skills?
4. Am I teaching and modeling the generation of CATs?
5. Am I teaching and modeling the integration of best evidence with my clinical expertise and my patients' preferences?
6. Am I developing new ways of evaluating the effectiveness of my teaching?
7. Am I developing new EBM educational material?

Self-evaluation of continuing professional development

1. Am I a member of an EBM-style journal club?
2. Have I participated in or tutored at one of the workshops on how to practice or teach EBM?
3. Have I joined the evidence-based health e-mail discussion group?
4. Have I established links with other practitioners or teachers of EBM?