Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Mar 30;33(2):531-538.
doi: 10.1007/s40670-023-01779-y. eCollection 2023 Apr.

The Effectiveness of a Journal Club for Improving Evidence-Based Medicine Skills and Confidence in Pre-clerkship Medical Students

Ellen M Cahill  1 , Gabriela Ferreira  2 , Diana Glendinning  3
Affiliations

The Effectiveness of a Journal Club for Improving Evidence-Based Medicine Skills and Confidence in Pre-clerkship Medical Students

Ellen M Cahill et al. Med Sci Educ. .

Abstract

Introduction: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) refers to medical practice that uses current best evidence to inform decision-making. This requires several skills including (1) creating an answerable question, (2) searching literature, (3) critically appraising evidence, and (4) applying results. Journal clubs are known to be effective in improving searching and critical appraisal skills in graduate medical education. In pre-clerkship medical education, journal clubs are used less often, and students often do not have the opportunity to engage in all of the steps above.

Methods: We developed a journal club for pre-clerkship students and measured its effectiveness using a pre-test, post-test design. Students attended 5 journal club sessions run by rotating student leaders and facilitated by faculty. Student groups developed searchable questions from clinical cases, searched the literature, located and critically appraised an article, and applied results to the case. We measured EBM skills and confidence using two validated questionnaires.

Results: Twenty-nine students (MS-1 and MS-2) completed the study. EBM confidence significantly improved at post-test with greatest improvements in the MS-1 student cohort. Confidence in developing a searchable question from a patient case significantly improved in both cohorts. There were no changes measured on the Test of EBM Knowledge and Skills.

Discussion: Participation in a faculty-mentored, student-led journal club improved confidence across all domains of EBM, primarily in MS-1 students. Journal clubs are positively received by pre-clerkship medical students and provide effective mechanisms to teach and promote all steps of EBM in pre-clerkship curricula.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-023-01779-y.

Keywords: Evidence-based medicine; Journal clubs; Medical education.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of InterestThe authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Journal club format
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Change in confidence levels across seven domains from pre-test to post-test using the modified EPIC scale
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Change in score pre-test to post-test using the modified EBM Test of Knowledge and Skills
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Sackett DL, Rosenberg WM, Gray JA, Haynes RB, Richardson WS. Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn't. BMJ. 1996;312(7023):71–72. doi: 10.1136/bmj.312.7023.71. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ismach RB. Teaching evidence-based medicine to medical students. Acad Emerg Med. 2004;11(12):e6–10. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2004.tb01914.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ilic D, Nordin RB, Glasziou P, Tilson JK, Villanueva E. Development and validation of the ACE tool: assessing medical trainees’ competency in evidence based medicine. BMC Med Educ. 2014;14:114. doi: 10.1186/1472-6920-14-114. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Potisek NM, McNeal-Trice K, Barone MA. The whole “PROOF”: incorporating evidence-based medicine into clinical teaching. Pediatrics. 2017;140(1). - PubMed
    1. Currier RL, Schneider MR, Heubi JE. Taking journal clubs off autopilot: a case study of teaching literature Eealuation skills to preclinical MD/PhD students. Med Sci Educ. 2013;23(4):572–577. doi: 10.1007/BF03341682. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources