Establishing an Evidence-based Journal Club for Radiation Therapists: the WRCC Experience
Section snippets
Background
Journal clubs are found in many medical programs worldwide. While formats may vary, the goals remain the same. A journal club should aim to improve professional critical appraisal skills, understanding of research methodology and integration of conclusions into evidence-based practice.
Methods
At the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre (WRCC) a change in clinical practice within the radiation therapy department was the catalyst for driving group interest in journal articles. MRT(T)s wanted to review publications to help form a best-practice opinion, but no one had the skills to do it alone. It was agreed to approach the topic from a team-based perspective. Two pilot teams were created, each examining a clinical case-based research article on the topic in question and the first journal
Benefits and Challenges
Session evaluation forms suggest overall satisfaction with the session topics, format, content and discussions, with minor modifications made ad-hoc at the request of the group. Currently these meetings are not mandatory; however, attendance has averaged over 70% for therapy staff and 100% for students.
Impact, Indications & Outcomes
The interest and impact of our journal club has been encouraging. Scientific papers can be seen often in MRT work areas, and there has been a noted rise in the reading frequency and discussions of these types of publications among staff. Therapists who were originally reluctant to act as speakers in the meetings have now shown interest in the role. The informal and non-judgmental approach to these sessions has increased overall participation, especially in the roundtable discussions on clinical
Recommendations
Introducing a journal club within the radiation therapy department has been a very positive experience and has strengthened the professionalism and awareness of research and evidence-based practice amongst therapists at the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre.