Roles and Responsibilities

PGY 2&3 Presenters

  1. Select a research article - 3-4 weeks prior to the conference

    1. Use the list provided, or peruse article aggregating sites like ACP Journal Club or Journal Watch

    2. If an article you want to discuss is not on this list, contact your preceptor

    3. Article should be new (about 2-3 years old) and relevant to clinical practice

    4. The most compelling articles will pertain to an actual clinical decision that was made

  2. Understand the article

    1. Background - why is the subject matter meaningful? What important gap in knowledge is filled by the article?

      1. Useful to read relevant papers on the topic to get in-depth understanding

    2. PICO can be a helpful mnemonic - Population, Intervention, Control, Outcomes

    3. What is the conclusion the authors reached?

  3. Appraise the article

    1. Read the article thoroughly, grasp what the underlying argument is - how are the authors trying to change practice? Why do they postulate that their intervention or diagnostic test does or doesn't work?

    2. Try to read editorials, letters to the editor, and other articles on the same topic to obtain a firm grasp on the subject matter

    3. Contact specialists in the area of interest

    4. Get help from your preceptor!

  4. Decide at least one EBM learning point and one clinical takeaway from the article. Some suggested questions to ask:

    1. What type of study is it, and why did the author choose this design?

    2. What are the threats to validity of this particular design? Did the study suffer from them?

    3. Were the statistical methods used in a valid way? - you can use your preceptor or Hugo for any questions on stats!

    4. Is clinical practice changed? What are some caveats to the conclusions of the article? Why?

    5. Consider using a checklist or reference website if you are having trouble (e.g., http://ebm-tools.knowledgetranslation.net/worksheet, or JAMA Users' Guides to the Medical Literature http://med.ubc.ca/files/2012/04/JAMA-Users-Guides-to-the-Medical-Literature.pdf)

  5. Decide whether you believe the article's central argument and if it will impact your practice

    1. Open to discussion and debate!

  6. Tell us how to make journal club more useful and interesting!

  7. Obtain feedback

Faculty Preceptor

  1. Read the article carefully

  2. Meet with the resident presenter at least once prior to Journal Club to assist the resident in critical appraisal of the article, identification of an appropriate teaching topic and in planning the teaching session. Many residents will benefit from a brief second meeting.

  3. Help the presenter come up with at least one EBM learning point and one clinical takeaway, and ensure these are presented effectively. In particular, furnishing statistics and epidemiology advice as the resident needs it.

  4. Attend the Journal Club session and participate actively in the conversation as invited by the resident presenter.

  5. Provide the resident with feedback on their performance and complete an evaluation form.

  6. Remember that the learning experience is for both the resident presenting as well as those attending the session.

Audience

  1. Read the article prior to the journal club

  2. Think about the research design and possible threats to validity

  3. Decide whether you would use the article in your daily practice

  4. Contribute to the discussion!

  5. Fill out the evaluation form and tell us how to make journal club more useful and interesting!