Training courses in Evidence-based Medicine at the Federal Joint Committee

Since 2006 the office of the Federal Joint Committee (FJC) has been offering training courses in Evidence-based Medicine (EbM) to its delegates. The courses were initiated due to a comprehensive and far-reaching restructuring of the FJC. For example, in 2004 it was decided to involve patient representatives in the discussions. Furthermore, the enactment of the cross-sectoral Code of Procedure in 2005 led to the removal of sectoral differences in the evaluation of the benefit of diagnostic and therapeutic methods. The main aim of the training courses is to build a common understanding of EbM in the interdisciplinary boards of the FJC. From the first course in 2006 until the middle of 2012, 385 people participated in these courses. Since many of them attended more than one course, the total number of participants is 663. In 2011, the courses were certified as the "Basic EbM-Course" by the German Network for Evidence-Based Medicine. The results of the course feedback and the continuing demand for further courses confirm their successful implementation and demonstrate that teaching EbM to groups with a fairly heterogeneous academic and professional background is advantageous.