VCU Internal Medicine Training Program
Guidelines for Resident Facilitators of EBM (Journal Club) Conference
Revision Date: 7/7/09
Revised by: Stephanie A. Call, MD, MSPH; Jeff Kushinka, MD
Schedules
Resources
Objectives
By the end of the first year, learners will be:
- Able to formulate a well-designed clinical question
- Familiar with the various EBM resources available to answer clinical questions
- Able to perform an efficient and successful literature search using OVID/Medline
- Able to define EBM terms listed in the EBM glossary (attached)
- Able to define and calculate the following: RRR, ARR, NNT, NNH, OR, RR, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, LR
- Able to apply concepts listed in #4, #5 in the evaluation of a specific journal article
- Familiar with the series “Users’ Guides to the Medical Literature”, and able to use this resource in critiquing specific journal articles
- Able to assess the validity of a journal article of types: therapy, prognosis, harm/etiology, diagnostic testing
- Able to apply the results of a specific study to the clinical setting
- Develop a personal strategy for using the medical literature
By the end of the second and third years in journal club, learners will be able to guide others in the critical assessment of a journal article and how to apply the results of the article to a specific clinical question/patient. This will be accomplished by each resident facilitating a clinical question-based journal club and through attendance at monthly journal clubs. The study types covered will include: therapy, prognosis, etiology/harm, diagnostic testing, systematic reviews, guidelines and cost analyses. Residents will gain an appreciation of the importance of this skill in lifelong learning and daily patient care.
