Objective. To adapt and validate an instrument assessing competence in evidence-based medicine (EBM) in Doctor of Pharmacy students. Methods. The Fresno test was validated in medical residents. We adapted it for use in pharmacy students. A total of 120 students and faculty comprised the validation set. Internal reliability, item difficulty, and item discrimination were assessed. Construct validity was assessed by comparing mean total scores of students to faculty, and comparing proportions of students and faculty who passed each item. Results. Cronbach's alpha was acceptable, and no items had a low item-total correlation. All of the point-biserial correlations were acceptable. Item difficulty ranged from 0% to 60%. Faculty had higher total scores and also scored higher than students on most items, and 8 of 11 of these differences were statistically significant. Conclusion. The Pharm Fresno is a reliable and valid instrument to assess competence in EBM in pharmacy students. Future research will focus on further refining the instrument.
Keywords: evidence-based medicine; psychometrics; reliability; validity.