2020 Volume 46 Issue 11 Pages 664-671
We developed an international journal club, using an online meeting tool, as an evidence-based medicine training program intended for healthcare professionals and students. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of the journal club via a questionnaire survey. We administered the questionnaire to 53 healthcare professionals and students who participated in the journal club between February 2019 and April 2020. Respondents showed positive improvement scores after participating in the journal club, compared with those before, as conveyed through the use of a seven-point Likert scale. The median scores of critical thinking skills, discussion skills in English, evidence-based practice skills, and the sense of freedom to ask questions and make comments after participating in the journal club were significantly improved from 4 (interquartile range [IQR]: 2 - 5) to 5 (IQR: 4 - 6); 3 (IQR: 2 - 4) to 3 (IQR: 2 - 5); 3 (IQR: 2 - 5) to 4 (IQR: 3 - 6); and 3 (IQR: 1 - 5) to 3 (IQR: 2 - 6), respectively. Moreover, they expressed interest in the opportunity to share articles on topics of interest with other professionals from different disciplines, to exchange clinical practice ideas concerning topics of interest, and to explore differences in clinical settings between Asia and the MD Anderson Cancer Center. They also expressed great appreciation for the online meeting format, novelty, and overall qualities of the journal club. These findings suggest that an international journal club for healthcare professionals and students could be useful in an evidence-based medicine training program and communication in English.
