Evidence-Based Medicine Course in Combination With Journal Clubs to Promote Evidence-Based Surgery

Abstract

To provide high-quality surgical care, surgeons must critically appraise medical literature to adapt their clinical practice whenever convincing evidence emerges. This will promote evidence-based surgery (EBS). Over the last decade, we have organized monthly journal clubs (JCs) and more extensive quarterly EBS courses for surgical residents and PhD students, supervised by surgical staff. We evaluated the participation, satisfaction, and knowledge gained by this EBS program, to make the program future-proof and aid other educators. Materials and methodsAn anonymous digital survey was distributed via email among residents, PhD students, and surgeons of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers' (UMC) surgical department in April 2022. The survey included general questions on EBS education, specific course-oriented questions for the residents and PhD students, and questions about supervision for surgeons. ResultsThe survey was completed by 47 respondents from the surgery department of the Amsterdam UMC University Hospital, of whom 63.8% (n=30) were residents or PhD students and 36.2% (n=17) were surgeons. During one year of the combined EBS course and JCs, the EBS course was attended by 40.0% (n=12) of PhD students and was rated with a mean score of 7.6/10. JCs were attended by 86.6% (n=26) of residents or PhD students and received a mean score of 7.4/10. Reported strengths of the JCs were their easy accessibility and the acquisition of critical appraisal skills and scientific knowledge. A reported point of improvement was to focus more deeply on specific epidemiological topics per meeting. Of the surgeons, 64.7% (n=11) had supervised at least one JC and gave a mean score of 8.5/10. The main reasons to supervise JCs were the distribution of knowledge (45.5%), scientific discussion (36.3%), and contact with PhD students (18.1%). ConclusionOur EBS educational program, including JCs and EBS courses, was well appreciated by residents, PhD students, and staff. This format is advocated for other centers aiming to better implement EBS in surgical practice.

Assessing Medical Students’ Perception of Implementing Journal Club Activities: A Qualitative Study

“…By presenting and discussing journal articles in a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment, students learn to critically evaluate research methodology, statistical analysis, and the validity of study results. This skill is essential for providing highquality patient care as it enables students to make informed decisions based on the best available evidence [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Journal clubs are currently one of the most known ways to introduce students to evidence-based medicine, which is defined as "conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of the current evidence in making the best decisions about the care of individual patients" [7,8].…”

“…These skills are fundamental not only for generating new knowledge but also for identifying gaps in existing research and contributing to ongoing scientific discourse. Encouraging students to actively engage in journal clubs helps cultivate an analytical mindset that translates into more effective and innovative clinical practice [1][2][3][4][5][6].…”