Goals of CAHE Journal Club
The general goal of any journal club is to disseminate knowledge and promote debate about research evidence and its implications for clinical practice.
Whilst the primary motivation of a journal club is the promotion of scientific discussion, journal clubs also aim to provide social networking, providing an opportunity for practitioners to experience regular contact with the club members, particularly important for AH practitioners who often work in isolation.
Specifically the goals of the journal club are to:
- Keep members up to date with the relevant literature
- Promote evidence-based practice in health care
- Provide opportunities for demonstrating continuing professional development
- Access literature sources
- Access to methodological quality tools
- Provide opportunities for improving skills in evaluation of scientific literature for methodological quality
- Provide social and peer support
The current evidence from research into journal clubs and continuing professional education highlights that traditional models of education, including didactic sessions and passive education strategies such as presentations, do not change health care practitioners behaviours. There is increasing evidence from literature on evidence implementation and behaviour change which suggests that incorporating principles of adult learning by engaging health care practitioners can lead to positive outcomes. These include uptake of information presented resulting in improvement in knowledge and skills and changes in health care practice behaviours. These principles of adult learning include:
- Relating the task to personal goals or the immediate environment
- Presenting learning objectives as clinical problems
- Using problem solving skills
- Using multiple teaching strategies to suit different learning styles
- Using active learner participation
- Providing ongoing, frequent constructive feedback