Abstract
BackgroundJournal clubs have been a mainstay of medical education since the days of Osler. Social media platforms allow virtual journal clubs to connect global participants. We describe the creation and impact of #IDJClub, an Infectious Diseases (ID) Twitter journal club.MethodsWe launched #IDJClub in October 2019. The format presents a recent ID publication for a 1-hour synchronous Twitter chat led by an ID physician from @IDJClub. Sessions started monthly, but increased in frequency due to interest during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-scripted tweets guide participants through the article description and analysis. We used Symplur’s Healthcare Hashtag project to track the number of impressions, tweets, participants, and the engagement rate (average tweets/participant) of #IDJClub per 60 minute discussion plus the following 30 minutes to capture ongoing conversations. We also conducted an online anonymous survey using Likert scales and open-ended questions to assess educational impact.ResultsAs of June 11 2020, @IDJClub garnered 5,338 followers from around the world (Figure 1). In its first 9 months, 12 virtual journal clubs were conducted with a mean of 791,624 impressions, 328 tweets, and 48 participants per session, which steadily increased over time (Figure 2). A total of 134 participants completed the survey, of whom 40% were ID physicians, 19% pharmacists, 13% ID fellows, and 10% medical residents. Most respondents followed 1–2 (38%) or 3–4 (38%) of the discussions, with variable levels of active participation. Majorities agreed that #IDJClub provided clinically useful knowledge, increased personal confidence in review of literature, and compared favorably with in-person journal clubs (Figure 3). The format addressed several barriers such as lack of access to in-person journal clubs or subject experts at one’s own institution and lack of time to read new research or attend traditional journal clubs (Figure 4). Conclusion#IDJClub is an effective platform for virtual journal club, providing an engaging, open-access tool for critical appraisal of ID literature. This innovation in medical education overcomes several barriers to traditional journal clubs while fostering professional relationships within the global ID community. Disclosures Todd P. McCarty, MD, Amplyx (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Cidara (Scientific Research Study Investigator)
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