What is an Evidence Based Journal Club?

Journal Clubs have a long and illustrious history. The first recorded formal Journal Club took place in 1875, and was organised by William Osler. His Club was 'for the purchase and distribution of periodicals to which he could ill afford to subscribe'. The purpose of Journal Clubs has changed over time, and they are now considered to be “a group of individuals who meet regularly to evaluate critically the clinical application of recent articles in the medical literature” (Milbrandt & Vincent, 2004). In recent years Journal Clubs have become particularly identified with Evidence Based Medicine, as a way of using the best available evidence to guide health care decisions.

Our Evidence Based Journal Club discusses one paper during each session, focusing on the methodology and validity of the study. It follows a systematic format commenting on (and explaining) methodological questions. It aims to answer questions such as: Should this paper change my clinical practice? And if so, how am I (my hospital/clinic/practice) going to achieve this?