Administration of a Canadian critical appraisal exam to pharmacy students in the Middle East

Abstract

Introduction/Context: Critical appraisal training of pharmacy students is important in the development of knowledge and skills necessary for the application of evidence-based practice post-licensure. The objectives of this study were to evaluate critical appraisal skills of students in Qatar and to compare performance across applicable academic years. Description of Assessment: Pharmacy students in third year, fourth year, and Doctor of Pharmacy students at Qatar University completed an application-based critical appraisal exam developed by faculty from a Canadian University. Results were categorised according to Bloom's taxonomy and compared by academic year. Evaluation: The median score of students was 30.5%. Students performed best on questions categorised as comprehension and lowest on evaluation questions. A significant improvement in performance as students progressed through the curriculum was observed. Implementation and Future Plans: Findings will be used to refine the current critical appraisal course series to increase emphasis on application of critical appraisal skills. 2016 FIP.