Table 3 Responses on a 5-point scale to the question: “How would you rate your skills in the following areas?” among Sudanese medical students (n = 761)

Locating professional literature.

234 (30.7 %)

251 (33.0 %)

197 (25.9 %)

68 (8.9 %)

11 (1.4 %)

2.34 ± 1.01

2.11 ± 1.01

0.004

Searching online databases.

154 (20.2 %)

192 (25.2 %)

258 (33.9 %)

123 (16.2 %)

34 (4.5 %)

2.76 ± 1.06

2.53 ± 1.13

0.006

Critical appraisal of a scientific publication reporting findings from clinical research.

319 (41.9 %)

253 (33.2 %)

147 (19.3 %)

32 (4.2 %)

10 (1.3 %)

2.03 ± 0.98

1.85 ± 0.93

0.025

Identifying knowledge gaps in practice (fields where not enough scientific literature is available to answer specific clinical question).

271 (35.6 %)

255 (33.5 %)

176 (23.1 %)

49 (6.4 %)

10 (1.3 %)

2.23 ± 1.00

1.98 ± 0.97

0.002

Critical appraisal of available scientific literature.

273 (35.9 %)

265 (34.8 %)

173 (22.7 %)

39 (5.1 %)

11 (1.4 %)

2.20 ± 0.97

1.95 ± 0.95

< 0.001

Identifying patient-relevant clinical questions.

178 (23.4 %)

254 (33.4 %)

210 (27.6 %)

96 (12.6 %)

23 (3.0 %)

2.56 ± 1.03

2.32 ± 1.07

0.004

Overall score

2.35 ± 0.79

2.12 ± 0.80

< 0.001