Article type
Abstract
Background: Health care students need to practice and receive timely feedback on critical appraisal (CA) skills. Journal clubs have evolved from in-person to virtual sessions to teach or apply evidence-based practice (EBP) skills, including CA. EBP competence is expected of health-related program graduates; however, curricular content constraints and EBP expansions into knowledge translation and implementation demand more efficient methods of achieving basic CA competence. A Virtual Journal Club (VJC) platform has been successful with physicians and 3rd-5th year medical students but has not been tested on physical therapy students. Rehabilitation outcomes are not as dichotomous as medical outcomes, adding an additional level of challenge.
Objectives: Assess the Virtual Journal Club platform for 1) feasibility and 2) effectiveness for teaching appraisals skills with 1st year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students 3) including users' feedback on program features.
Methods: The VJC, hosted at www.JournalClub.net, will be used during a short, intensive clinical inquiry, in-person course. DPT students (n=80) will appraise RCTs, diagnostic and prognostic articles for practice before appraising a graded article, as well as complete pre and post skill and attitude self-assessments. The platform provides real time feedback after students submit their answers, supporting student error correction and class discussions for clarification. Automated article grading provides faculty with a summary of correct answers for each appraisal question (Fig 1), thus saving time for large cohorts.
Results: Preliminary medical student data demonstrate improved CA skills. This VJC implementation will complement that data to describe feasibility and skill acquisition with first year DPT students, early in their education. Measures include: individual and overall class CA performance across study designs; appraisal completion time; clinical reasoning on patient scenarios; student and faculty feedback about VJC’s features, attitudes and knowledge about CA as an EBP skill.
Conclusions: A Virtual Journal club with built-in pre appraised articles relevant to physical therapy can provide CA practice for first year DPT students. Efficiency improves faculty’s assessment of individuals in large classes. VJC provides innovative opportunities to practice CA in academic settings.
Objectives: Assess the Virtual Journal Club platform for 1) feasibility and 2) effectiveness for teaching appraisals skills with 1st year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students 3) including users' feedback on program features.
Methods: The VJC, hosted at www.JournalClub.net, will be used during a short, intensive clinical inquiry, in-person course. DPT students (n=80) will appraise RCTs, diagnostic and prognostic articles for practice before appraising a graded article, as well as complete pre and post skill and attitude self-assessments. The platform provides real time feedback after students submit their answers, supporting student error correction and class discussions for clarification. Automated article grading provides faculty with a summary of correct answers for each appraisal question (Fig 1), thus saving time for large cohorts.
Results: Preliminary medical student data demonstrate improved CA skills. This VJC implementation will complement that data to describe feasibility and skill acquisition with first year DPT students, early in their education. Measures include: individual and overall class CA performance across study designs; appraisal completion time; clinical reasoning on patient scenarios; student and faculty feedback about VJC’s features, attitudes and knowledge about CA as an EBP skill.
Conclusions: A Virtual Journal club with built-in pre appraised articles relevant to physical therapy can provide CA practice for first year DPT students. Efficiency improves faculty’s assessment of individuals in large classes. VJC provides innovative opportunities to practice CA in academic settings.