Journal Club Research Articles (Page 1)

Evidence-Based Surgery Curriculum With Journal Clubs: Pilot Study at a Community-Based Hospital Residency Program.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) integrates research, clinical expertise, and patient preferences to improve healthcare. However, EBP adoption in Sri Lanka faces challenges due to limited awareness, knowledge gaps, and organizational barriers. This study assessed nurses’ awareness, knowledge, and implementation of EBP. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 301 nurses in medical and surgical units at the National Hospital in Kandy and the Teaching Hospital in Peradeniya. A self-reported 27-item questionnaire measured EBP awareness, knowledge, and practice. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22, and chi-square tests were used to assess the associations. Of 301 participants (response rate: 80.05%), 252 (83.7%) held diplomas, while 47 (15.6%) had a baccalaureate degree. Over half (52.8%) agreed that EBP is essential, and most acknowledged strategies like journal clubs (71.4%) and literature searches (70.4%) to enhance EBP. While nurses showed positive attitudes and awareness, knowledge, skills, and implementation were lower. Academic qualifications and experience significantly correlated with knowledge (P<0.0001, Phi=0.328) and practice (P=0.001, Phi=0.295). Nurses had a positive perception of EBP but faced barriers to full implementation, primarily due to resource limitations. Higher education and experience improved EBP competency, emphasizing the need for training and institutional support.

Journal Club Article: The STEROHCA trial – Optimizing post resuscitation haemodynamics by prehospital high dose corticosteroids

Impact of Blinded Journal Club Activity on Student Pharmacists: a Pilot Analysis

Ketamine as First-Line Treatment in Status Epilepticus? How Generalizability Affects Data Interpretation: November 2025 Annals of Emergency Medicine Journal Club.

BackgroundUsing evidence to guide clinical practice is recognized as the cornerstone of safe, effective, and patient-centred care and is embedded within the national competency framework of respiratory therapists (RTs) as evidence-informed practice (EIP). However, how this competency is enacted in practice remains unclear. RTs, like many health professionals, encounter challenges in enacting EIP and are influenced by individual, contextual, and organizational factors. As part of a broader program of research, our team conceptualized EIP in respiratory therapy as comprising three interrelated components: reflective practice, shared decision-making, and research awareness. In this study, we examined the current knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of RTs in Canada related to these three core components of EIP.MethodsWe surveyed credentialed RTs across Canada to assess their knowledge, attitudes and behaviours relating to three components of EIP: reflective practice, shared decision-making, and research awareness. Participants were randomly assigned to complete one of three surveys, each of which related to one of the components. We used a simple-randomized, stratified sampling to enhance generalizability, and analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and exploratory analyses of demographic and practice-related variables. We analyzed open-ended responses using qualitative content analysis.ResultsThe three surveys were accessed 442 times. After removing non-responses and incomplete data, we analyzed the data from 288 participants (response rate = 10.2%). Out of the possible 100 score, shared decision-making yielded the highest mean knowledge score (M = 86.4, SD = 6.4), while research awareness scored highest for attitudes (M = 81.4, SD = 13.4) and behaviours (M = 78.3, SD = 10.4). Reflective practice showed the lowest mean scores across domains (knowledge M = 40.6; attitudes M = 53.3; behaviours M = 61.3). ANOVAs indicated significant group differences across all domains (p < .001). Using the open-ended responses, 79.2% of participants emphasized that research evidence is the most significant feature of EIP. The open-ended responses related to training needs for EIP focused on condition- or population-specific application (29.5%), preferred formats, such as journal clubs, webinars, and modules (24.7%), and skills for engaging with research (21.2%). Exploratory analyses suggested some differences in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of EIP by gender, race, geography, practice setting, age, and years in practice.DiscussionRTs in Canada demonstrated variable knowledge, attitudes and behaviours across all components of EIP. While reflective practice stood out as the component with the lowest scores across knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours, scores in all three components indicated room for improvement. Together, these findings highlight that all areas of EIP require strengthening through contextually relevant educational strategies to better support RTs in enacting EIP.

Journal clubs (JCs) play an important role in medical education by promoting critical appraisal and evidence-based practice. However, residents often face barriers to effective participation. Some of the issues that are commonly faced include limited time and difficulty understanding complex concepts and statistics. This study was conducted during March-September 2024 and explored the use of a custom-trained Large Language Model (LLM) as a supportive tool for JC preparation and participation among postgraduate dental residents. Using a design-based research approach, researchers implemented the LLM integrated with relevant literature. Six JC sessions were conducted with sixteenresidents across two subspecialties, accompanied by structured observations, feedback forms, and pre-/and post-focus groups with residents and faculty (n=16). Findings revealed that the LLM improved residents' comprehension of complex content, enhanced confidence, and increased engagement during discussions. Residents used the tool for summarizing articles, clarifying statistical methods, and generating discussion points. Fiftythree percent reported a positive experience of using the LLM for JC preparation, Forty-three percentwere neutral, and only one response was negative. However, challenges included the need for precise prompt construction, occasional content inaccuracies, and limited depth in some specialized areas. Faculty observed enhanced participation but stressed the need for critical evaluation of LLM outputs. Both groups identified prompt-writing skills, critical thinking, and AI literacy as key competencies for effective LLM use. LLMs can complement traditional teaching by supporting deeper engagement in JCs. As generative AI evolves, further research should examine its broader implications on learners' cognitive processes, epistemic trust, and educational equity.

PRS Journal Club: Optimizing Outcomes and Safety across Aesthetic and Reconstructive Operations.

The art of conducting a good pilot study: a discussion of the BETA-ARREST pilot trial

Over the past decade, the CAIRO Journal Club (CJC) has evolved into a cornerstone of oncology education and multidisciplinary collaboration across Egypt and the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This narrative review charts CJC's formative journey, analyzes its educational impact, and outlines forward-looking strategies to further democratize high-quality cancer care. Since 2013, CJC has convened more than 120 interactive events under the Egyptian Foundation of Medical Sciences (EFMS) umbrella, supplemented by masterclasses, simulation-based forums, and hands-on workshops that prioritize breast, thoracic, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary malignancies. A deliberate emphasis on evidence-based, resource-adapted protocols underpins these activities, fostering context-appropriate decision-making through case-linked learning and live audience polling. Independent assessments and post-event surveys demonstrate significant gains in participants' knowledge retention, clinical confidence, and treatment-planning skills, particularly among practitioners in peripheral or resource-constrained settings. Moreover, CJC's digital extensions (including livestreamed symposia and moderated social-media discussion boards) have expanded its national footprint, yielding > 30,000 cumulative virtual attendances (unique live logins and on-demand viewers from 2019-2024) and markedly lowering geographic access barriers. Building on this momentum, CJC will launch international virtual tumor boards with partners in Egypt, North Africa, the Levant, the Gulf, and globally; establish structured mentoring for early-career oncologists and allied professionals across the region; introduce AI-enabled adaptive learning modules; and develop accredited postgraduate certificate programs aligned with WHO competency frameworks. Future evaluation will also examine educational and practice impact, with a focus on expanding training, mentoring, and scholarly outputs. CJC's experience illustrates how a regional, volunteer-driven initiative can bridge oncology-education disparities through blended, scalable learning models. Its planned innovations offer a replicable blueprint for other LMIC contexts seeking to strengthen cancer-care capacity through sustained professional development and digital inclusion.

Postgraduate medical education is unreliable and of varying quality, while house medical officers (HMOs) want structured teaching. We created and implemented a core curriculum of cardiology topics for HMOs and assessed how this was received and whether it improved their competency levels in managing patients. The old teaching model (bedside teaching and journal club) was reviewed using a questionnaire to assess HMOs' competency in cardiology domains before and after their rotations, where they experienced most of their teaching and whether they preferred the old model or the proposed new model (core curriculum). A 10-part curriculum was developed in accordance with local physician training guidelines and delivered to consecutive HMO cohorts. The new model was assessed using a similar questionnaire, and responses were analysed and compared. Competency scores were based on a five-point Likert scale. Median competency scores significantly improved from 2.5 (IQR 2.0-3.0) before rotation to 4.0 (IQR 4.0-4.0) after rotation for both HMO groups; however, there was no significant difference in post-rotation scores between the two models. Almost all HMOs (98%) preferred the new model compared to the old model. A significantly higher proportion of HMOs reported most of their teaching came from the new model and that it helped them feel more comfortable managing cardiology patients. We report a strong desire from HMOs for structured curriculum teaching, which can improve clinical competency and help them manage patients. Delivery of a core curriculum is feasible and easy to implement and results in high satisfaction among HMOs.

BackgroundEvidence-based practice plays a pivotal role in modern nursing decision-making. Healthcare organizations must ensure that nurses consistently have access to and apply the most current evidence. The journal club is a key method for evidence-based education among healthcare professionals. The study aimed to evaluate the perceived educational value of journal clubs among clinical nurses.MethodsThe study used a cross-sectional descriptive survey approach. The setting included a large tertiary hospital in the western region of Saudi Arabia. A total of 208 nurses (mean age 38.9 ± 9.1 years; 88.9% female) were randomly sampled. Participants had attended an EBP workshop and at least two journal club sessions. Perceptions were assessed using the Nursing Journal Club Perception Scale (NJPS), a 15-item Likert scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman’s Rho tests; p < 0.05 was significant.FindingsOverall, 208 nurses completed the survey. Almost 90% of participants agreed or strongly agreed with the educational value of journal clubs, with a median score of 61.0 (IQR 60.0–68.0). Nurses with 1–5 years of experience reported significantly lower perceived journal club value with a median of 60.0 (IQR 56.0–61.0, p = 0.0402). In comparison, nurses with 6–10 years of experience reported significantly higher perceived journal club value with a median of 62.0 (IQR 60.0–72.0, p = 0.0402) and in the clinical practice support with a median of 34.0 (IQR 32–39, p = 0.0032). No differences were noted on the research support domain (p = 0.0864).ConclusionThis study findings align with the broader literature, indicating that journal clubs promote critical appraisal skills, support integration of evidence into practice, and encourage professional development. However, the impact of journal clubs is influenced by various contextual factors. This highlights the need and importance of targeting evidence-based practice education, mentorship, and sustained institutional support to optimize the value of journal clubs for the diverse nursing workforce.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-025-03907-y.

Abstract Purpose Leadership skills are critical for success as a surgical trainee and attending. However, the prevalence of structured leadership training curricula in surgical residency training programs is unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the current state of the literature in terms of reporting on formal leadership curricula in surgical residency programs in the United States. Methods A systematic literature search was performed per PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria consisted of all original research articles that discussed the implementation of a formal surgical leadership curriculum in ACGME-accredited residency programs. Exclusion criteria included non-surgical residencies, leadership training for medical students or faculty and non-U.S.-based residency programs. Results A total of 199 studies underwent screening. Ten studies (5.0%) met final inclusion criteria, published from 2004 to 2024. A total of 252 residents were included across eight studies (2/10 studies did not disclose how many residents participated). The most common forms of curricular intervention were formal leadership lectures (including free-standing lectures and leadership-focused grand rounds speakers), journal clubs, and individualized leadership mentoring/coaching. Seven of the 10 formal leadership programs (70%) were modelled according to literature, programs, or experts in other industries. Curricular impact was measured via faculty feedback, rates of attrition, and surveys/feedback from the residents following the intervention. Conclusions The prevalence of literature describing formal leadership curricula in U.S. residency programs is sparse. However, those surgical residencies that have described the implementation of such programming have largely reported success and positive reactions from participants.

The "Efficacy and Safety of IV Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients With Moyamoya Disease" study was a retrospective analysis of administrative data to examine the safety and efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in patients with moyamoya disease (MMD). Here, we examine this study in detail, looking at its strengths and limitations. The authors identified 3,050 patients with MMD of whom 214 (7.0%) had received IVT. The study used propensity score matching (PSM), a technique which aims to reduce confounding by matching treatment and control groups. After PSM, there were 212 patients in the IVT group and 818 patients in the no-IVT group. A higher proportion of patients in the IVT group had a good outcome (return to home with self-care) than the no-IVT group (53.6% [95% CI 42.7%-63.3%] vs 45.1% [95% CI 39.9%-50.3%]). There were no differences in intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) or mortality between groups. The main strength of this study was the large sample size acquired from nationwide data for this uncommon disease. A few limitations include (1) the observational nature of the study with lack of details about the definition of MMD or of ICH, (2) lack of confirmatory imaging evidence of infarct at 24 hours, and (3) limitations inherent to the technique of PSM. In summary, this study was the first large retrospective study to provide evidence that IVT may be safe in patients with MMD. Future studies are needed to determine whether there is benefit of IVT in these patients.

IntroductionFuture health professions educators need to develop educational research literacy to elevate the evidence base of their educational work, and to participate confidently and substantively in academic discourse on Health Professions Education (HPE). Pedagogical Journal Clubs (JCs) could be one means to this goal, but there is little empirical evidence to support this. To address this gap, we used pedagogical JCs in a master’s program in HPE and analysed the experience gained.MethodsWe conducted a self-evaluation study based on five cross-sectional online surveys from 2020 to 2024 to gather data on students’ experiences (n = 94) with this specific learning format. The self-developed questionnaire collected data on the respondent’s demographics, previous experiences with JCs, perceived effects of pedagogical JCs, and their potential future application. The cumulated quantitative data from these surveys was analysed descriptively, answers to a final open-ended question were clustered thematically.ResultsThe respondents assessed the active and critical engagement with educational research literature in the pedagogical JCs as a valuable contribution to their scientific qualification. 95% were convinced that pedagogical JCs are suitable for promoting the evidence base of their educational work. However, the master’s students were rather hesitant when asked whether they would be willing to organise and use pedagogical JCs to bridge the gap between research and practice at their future workplace. They saw numerous obstacles to such implementation in practice.ConclusionPedagogical JCs are a promising learning format to develop the ability to access, appraise and apply educational research results. However, further research is essential to establish a stronger evidence-based connection between pedagogical JCs and this educational research literacy. In addition, structural support is needed in institutions relevant to HPE, but so is a change in mindset among educators in order to transfer the experience gained with pedagogical JCs into later educational practice.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-07915-z.

Engaging and Empowering Future Female Surgeons: Development of the Medical Student Section of the Society of Women in Urology.

IntroductionTeaching faculty is vital to the success of academic institutions. Academic biomedical faculty has faced greater workloads, and limited access to development opportunities. The Academy of Educational Scholars (AES) was designed as a community of practice with an embedded educational research fellowship to address the challenges of building and sustaining educational scholarship as recognized value for academic biomedical faculty careers.MethodsAn educational project-based, one-year faculty fellowship served to identify faculty motivated to join a community of practice. Fellowship curriculum development was guided by a literature review, internal needs’ assessment, and the Kerns six-step framework. The program comprised ten 3-hour workshops and two project critique sessions delivered at monthly intervals over 12 months. Immediate session evaluations and a comprehensive program evaluation were conducted, assessing program value, and improvements in educator confidence in knowledge and skill. Outcome measures included presentations at local and national conferences, numbers of abstracts submitted, publications, grant submissions and new educational roles taken on.ResultsFellowship graduates from first 2 cohorts demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in knowledge about educational scholarship (p = 0.01) and related skills (p = 0.01). Program satisfaction was 93%. Content analysis revealed the most impactful program features were networking and joining a community focused on educational scholarship. AES fellow-produced scholarship includes 7 local/regional presentations, 10 abstracts, 6 publications, 4 grant submissions, 2 funded educational grants, and 4 new educational leadership roles. AES community activities include an annual retreat, monthly journal clubs, a teaching excellence recognition program, and a scholarship consult service.ConclusionEmbedding an educational research fellowship into a community of practice is an effective model for building a sustainable teaching academy. Identifying local talent and incorporating member service expectations has minimized cost while incentivizing a volunteer model. Building the community of practice entailed intentional recruitment of mature educational scholars and novice fellows.

Testing the Implementation and Acceptance of Generative Artificial Intelligence to Augment Vascular Surgery Journal Club

Evaluating the Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis That Predicts the Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage: October 2025 Annals of Emergency Medicine Journal Club.

This Journal club aims to evaluate the recent evidence about the potential benefits of macrolides as add-on therapy in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), an area where the data remain conflicting. Four studies with diverse methodology (the ACCESS trial, a Greek cohort study, a UK-based cohort study and a recent meta-analysis) have aimed to assess either potential immunomodulatory effects, clinical response or hard end-points like mortality when macrolides are added to the treatment regimen for hospitalised patients with CAP. The ACCESS trial, a randomised controlled trial (RCT), demonstrated improved early clinical response and immunomodulatory effects with clarithromycin, while the Greek cohort study showed reduced 28-day mortality and delayed organ dysfunction with clarithromycin. The cohort study from the UK found no added benefit of macrolides on 30-day mortality or decline in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. The recent meta-analysis supported a survival advantage of macrolides, favouring clarithromycin over azithromycin. However, study limitations like heterogeneity, confounding risks and the lack of head-to-head comparisons of individual macrolides remain of concern. Macrolide treatment decisions may benefit from individualised risk assessment; however, future research should focus on identifying subgroups who might benefit from macrolides and comparative analyses of macrolide agents through large-scale RCTs.