Developing a journal club in the community setting

Five Years of Journal Clubs With Pediatric Nurses and Allied Health Professionals: A Retrospective Study and Satisfaction Survey

PURPOSE

Journal Clubs (JCs) for nurses and allied health professionals have been held in an Italian pediatric hospital since April 2008. This study aimed to: examine what type of articles have been used during JCs across 5years; investigate the potential implications for clinical and organizational practice; assess the participants' satisfaction about JCs and their contribution to professional development.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Using a retrospective design, all articles proposed in the JCs were examined. Specific criteria were used to evaluate the implications for practice within the hospital, which were classified as direct or indirect. Using a cross-sectional design, 63 JCs participants were asked to express their opinion and satisfaction about the JC sessions attended.

RESULTS

Overall, 132 articles were analyzed: most of them focused on pediatric care (64.4%) and nursing (96.2%). Almost half of the articles (n=60, 45.6%) were appraised as having brought implications for clinical practice, both direct (58.3%) and indirect (41.7%). Forty-one participants (12 attendees; 29 active participants) completed a questionnaire about their opinion about JCs. Most of participants (80.5%) reported that the topics selected for the JCs were interesting and relevant to their everyday practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Multidisciplinary JCs were considered useful for clinical practice, improvement of the quality of care, and professional development. However, lack of pragmatism and the difficulty to bridge the gap between research and practice were reported as weaknesses.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

JCs can represent a quality improvement strategy for promoting research utilization among health professionals and thereby improving the quality of care.

Are journal clubs useful in teaching psychiatry?

Journal clubs are a mandatory aspect of psychiatric training in the UK, yet are not always seen as a stimulating experience. Clarifying the aim of the club and tailoring it to the needs and wishes of the audience is an essential step. Teaching skills in critical appraisal is often seen as the main purpose of journal clubs. Depending on the audience, being able to formulate questions from clinical dilemmas, search the literature, and integrate research evidence, clinical expertise and the patient's needs and wishes may be as important. Linking these tasks in the journal club with routine clinical practice increases the chances of changing attitudes and behaviour and thus influencing care. New approaches to using social media and online formats mean that journal clubs are no longer restricted to a particular place or time, although the social aspect of meeting colleagues continues to be important for many.

Implementing a virtual journal club in a clinical nursing setting

Healthcare practice is increasingly focused on delivering care that is based on published research evidence. Staff development nurses can institute journal clubs to teach nursing staff critical appraisal of research articles and ways to translate research findings into clinical practice. Unfortunately, attending meetings regularly is often a challenge for nurses, and relatively few have the knowledge and expertise to adequately critique research articles. One way to bridge the limitations of accessibility and limited research expertise of journal club members is to establish a virtual journal club. This article describes one hospital's experience with developing a virtual journal club.

Exploring the perspectives of allied health practitioners toward the use of journal clubs as a medium for promoting evidence-based practice: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Research evidence suggests that journal clubs (JCs) are one approach which can be used to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice. However, there are issues which potentially threaten their viability such as on-going participation or compliance with attendance, which require further exploration. The objectives of this study are: to explore the views and perspectives of allied health practitioners (AHPs) regarding the use of any type of JC in promoting evidence-based practice (EBP); to identify ways in which an innovative model of JC developed by the International Centre for Allied Health Evidence (iCAHE) might be refined.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive study utilising focus group interviews with various groups of AHP was undertaken-- those who have been exposed to the iCAHE JC model and those who have no experience of the iCAHE model (although they may have had exposure to other forms of JC). Maximum variation sampling was used to recruit participants for the study. Transcripts of focus groups were coded and distilled into content-related categories.

RESULTS

Six focus groups with 39 AHPs were facilitated. Allied health practitioners perspectives' on JCs were classified in five broad categories: utility and benefits of a JC, elements of an effective and sustainable JC, barriers to participation, incentives for participation, and opportunities for improvement in the current iCAHE JC model. Overall, JCs were seen as a forum for reflective practice and keeping up-to-date with research evidence, and a venue for learning the processes involved in critical appraisal. Limited knowledge of statistics and heavy clinical workload were reported as barriers to participation in a JC. Strategies such as mentoring, strong support from managers, and providing CPD (continuing professional development) points can potentially address these barriers. Opportunities for refinement of the current iCAHE model were raised.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that a structured model of JC such as iCAHE's model is acceptable, and likely to be used with enthusiasm by AHP to achieve EBP. Future research should explore the impact of iCAHE JC compared with no JC exposure, and other forms of exposure to JCs, in influencing change in allied health practitioners behaviours and evidence implementation.

Pilot study to test the use of a mobile device in the clinical setting to access evidence-based practice resources

AIM

To test the feasibility and acceptability of the use of a mobile device to access evidence-based practice (EBP) resources in the clinical setting.

METHODS

A pretest/posttest design was used with a convenience sample of 2nd- and 3rd-year preregistration undergraduate health care students in the United Kingdom. Questionnaires were used to measure (1) feasibility and acceptability of the mobile device and (2) perceptions of the development of EBP knowledge and skills. The study took place during the students' clinical practice and involved two meetings at the beginning and end of the placement period. A Web page was developed to support the process and provide links to key EBP resources.

RESULTS

Nineteen undergraduate physiotherapy and nursing students took part in the study. The main findings indicated a generally low level of utilisation of the mobile device in the clinical setting, primarily due to practical difficulties associated with accessing the Internet and the small size of the screen. Consequently, the majority of the students used personal computers (PCs) to access EBP resources. Through the process, students reported improvements in their knowledge and skills in relation to EBP and the appraisal of clinical guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

Students were able to complete the EBP activity using either the mobile device or PC and reported improvements in their knowledge and skills in relation to EBP and the appraisal of clinical guidelines. Findings suggest that for undergraduate health care students, rapid access to online evidence in the clinical environment is not necessarily essential for the integration of the EBP process into practice, or for the development of EBP knowledge and skills, provided there is easy access to such evidence at some point during the placement period.

Virtual journal club connects evidence to practice: an analysis of participant responses

Advancing evidence-based practice in hospitals can be a challenge. To address this issue, a virtual journal club (VJC) was developed using available intranet technology. Research manuscripts are posted along with professional critiques and discussion questions. Comments from nurse VJC participants are reviewed by the hospital's nursing research council and analyzed for practice implications. Recommendations for practice change derived from the analysis are forwarded to the appropriate decision-making body for consideration. This process closes the loop ensuring that the VJC not only exposes the nursing staff to scientific evidence to support changing their practice but also may lead to institutional policy changes that are based on best practice evidence in the literature. The authors discuss the VJC and the outcomes of an evaluation project.