191: PEER TUTORING FOR EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE FOR STUDENTS OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Iranian Student Center for Evidence Based Medicine (ISCEBM) has been pioneer in using innovative and creative teaching methods to deliver and spread the concepts of evidence Based Practice (EBP). Many studies found peer tutoring as an effective method to train tutees. The aim of this study was to evaluate the experience of students participating in the peer assisted learning workshops of this center on EBP and methodology of research. METHODS: ISCEBM held the second series of workshops on Evidence Based Practice and methodology of evidence based research. These workshops were held weekly for two months (June–July 2016) for undergraduate medical sciences students from different fields. The education was based on peer assisted learning using interactive group discussion methods and problem based learning. Tutors were selected from students of ISCEBM who were expert in this field moreover, each session was held under the supervision of a specialist who completed and corrected the speech of student tutors. A checklist containing questions about each trait of workshop using 5-point Likert scale and an open question about their ideas, were shared via web based electronic questionnaire. RESULTS: Thirty participants who regularly participated in the workshops responded to the questionnaire. 46.2% believed peer education to be very effective in training concepts in a more understandable way rather than conventional teaching method. 92.3% found problem based learning very effective or effective. 84.6% believed continuous and weekly courses are more effective than intensive courses in one or two days. And 100% of responders were willing to participate in the next series of workshops. Participants indicated that peer tutoring “increased their self-confidence”, “helped them to comment freely”, “made them glad to see someone who understands them” and “made the lesson more attractive”. CONCLUSION: Peer tutoring was a successful experience in training students about EBP; however; larger projects involving larger number of participants can indicate the real impact of this method better.