Journal Clubs - A How-To Guide
Keys to Success
- Select an article with clinical applicability
- Organize the presentation
- Sequential presentation - put yourself in the shoes of the investigator
- Be familiar with related trials, methods of measurement
- Work with preceptor to determine if you should preapre a handout
Evaluation Criteria
- I. The Journal
- Discuss the journal.
- Peer review
- Affiliation with a professional society or organization
- Can authors pay to have their studies published in the journal? Check the Information
for Authors section.
- Impact factor - Journal Citation Reports
- II. The Article
- Discuss general aspects of the article.
- A. General Comments
- Author expertise and qualifications
- Financial support - independent vs. industry
- Other conflicts of interest
- B. Title
- Descriptive
- Reflects objectives
- Imply unsubstantiated conclusions
- C. Abstract
- Intelligible
- Objectives, methods, results, conclusions -not just favorable findings
- D. Introduction
- Discuss the background, study rationale, purpose and objectives
- Study rationale
- Logical
- Sufficient detail on study background
- Study purpose and objectives
- E. Methods
- Discuss the study methods, step-by-step (as written in the article)
- Methods
- Logical
- Sufficient detail, or are you left guessing?
- Contemporary or outdated methods
- References to standard methods, or Description of modified methods,
if applicable
- Patient selection methods
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria - logical, all-inclusive
- Study design
- Supports objectives
- Study location - single center vs. multicenter
- Appropriate controls used
- Placebo
- Gold-standard treatment
- Blinding (e.g., placebo)
- Single dummy vs. double dummy
- Randomization procedure used
- Washout, if necessary
- Appropriate doses and duration of therapy
- Sufficient follow-up
- Adherence assessment (e.g., pill counts, diaries, blood levels)
- Methods to assess adverse reactions
- Was the study ethical?
- What were the study endpoints or outcomes?
- F. Statistical Tests
- Discuss the statistical methods used
- What was sample size?
- How determined - what change or difference (%) were they looking for?
- What was the study power?
- What statistical tests were used? Were they appropriate?
- G. Results
- Discuss the study results
- Review the patient demographics
- HDid they enroll the desired types of patients according to inclusion/exclusion criteria?
- Are the patients representative of the population you may be treating (e.g., can you
extrapolate these results to your patients?)?
- Patient withdrawal description
- Adverse effect on sample size
- Intention to treat
- Describe all results listed
- Are all the study measurements reported?
- Logical, unbiased interpretations
- Check graphic representations closely
- Adverse reactions
- Relevance of data
- H. Discussion
- Objectives met; If not, why?
- Results put in perspective to available information
- References to unpublished work
- Speculation; adequate data interpretation
- Conclusions supported by data
- Do authors try to extrapolate results to other populations?
- Study limitations should be discussed
- I. Bibliography
- Referencing key information
- Overzealous references to author publications
- Primary vs. tertiary literature
- III. Applications
- Impact on practice, and your practice specifically
- Clinical vs. statistical significance
