Development and Implementation of a Scholarly Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents and Subspecialty Fellows

Background. To create and assess the efficacy of a standardized curriculum for trainees in the core competency of critical appraisal of medical literature. Methods. We implemented a 10-hour scholarly lecture curriculum, in 1-hour blocks, over 1 academic year for postgraduate trainees in internal medicine (IM) and IM subspecialties at a single major academic medical center. The aims of the curriculum were to increase trainee comfort with clinical research methodology, to place this methodology in the context of historical and current ethical challenges, to provide trainees with guidance on how to conduct clinical research at the institutional level, and to provide guidance on appropriate peer review. Learning objectives ranged from comprehension and application to analysis and evaluation. Faculty were nationally recognized experts in clinical research, trial methodology, critical appraisal, and peer review. Pre- and post-lecture surveys assessed attendees’ knowledge and perceptions of topics through multiple choice questions and Likert scales. Results. The implementation of this curriculum was feasible and added no cost. On pre-lecture surveys of five selected topics, 66.7-89.5% of respondents rated their understanding “not at all well” or “somewhat well,” which decreased post-lecture by a median of 14.3% (IQR 9.2-35.1; range, 4.8-71.8%). Knowledge correctness in each topic increased by a median of 17.6% (IQR 10.6-20; range, 4.1-20.1%). Trainees reported a baseline median score of 5 (on a 1-10 scale) regarding comfort with research language. Conclusion. The incorporation of a scholarly lecture series into an existing didactic schedule is feasible, well-received, and increases trainee knowledge and comfort with research methodology.