Sandbox: JCB maria

WikiDoc Journal Club

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Maria Fernanda Villarreal, M.D. [2]

WikiDoc Journal Club is a web-based collaborative platform for WikiDoc editors. The aim of this group consists of commentary and discussion related to published medical literature. This educational program can improve our reading habits, knowledge of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, and the use of medical literature in WikiDoc quality and clinical training practice. The WikiDoc Journal sessions are designed to improve reviewing skills and enable the editors to share, and discuss academic publications.

About us

WikiDoc Journal Club was created by editors of the WikiDoc foundation/PERFUSE study group. Our editorial staff comprises medical doctors with an academic focus. The editorial hierarchy includes Deputy Editors, Associate Editors, and Editor-in-Chiefs, in order of increasing responsibility.

Objectives

The overarching goal of this journal club is to help improve the quality of scientific research by enabling innovative approaches for the WikiDoc editors interaction. Since WikiDoc is a nonprofit organization, it constitutes the ideal framework through which to pursue the objectives of this educational platform.

Goals

• Conduct structured critical appraisal
• Understand the limitations of the application of evidence
• Recognize and understand basic study design, distinguishing weak from strong methodology
• Gain familiarity with basic statistical tests
• Gain insight into a specific clinical problem
• Hone skills related to oral and written presentations

Expectations

You will be assigned (or self-select) a primary article and an assigned WikiDoc member will review this prior to the biweekly meeting. The primary responsibility for the WikiDoc Journal Club rests with the presenting scholar. You will be assigned an article, a date and a preceptor. Except under extraordinary circumstances, these will not be changed.

Presentation

Each presentation should be 15-20 minute long and 20-30 minutes will be allowed for discussion.

Read and Review, ensure that the article is distributed to all the participating members at least a week prior to the presentation. This can be done electronically via email(PDF's are preferred). The editor can feel free to select 1 or 3 supporting articles to go with the primary article. Supporting articles might include up-to-date reviews, classic articles on the subject or studies that support or refute the results of the primary article.

Describe the type of article (Therapy or Harm, Prognosis, Diagnosis, Symptom prevalence, Economic or Decision Analysis). Most articles will fall into the first three categories, if not discuss what type of study you are working on or ask for advice before. Prepared worksheets will be designed and distributed to analyze and evaluate the article content.

Develop your presentation and produce a final critique (short, follow the review style, your opinion, it should be relaxed and a friendly scientific environment - we are all here to learn!)

Review Format

1.Issues addressed by the article—What is the research question? Why does it matter? How does it fit with what already is known? How can it help solve important problems for practice or policy?

2.Design of the study—Is the study design appropriate for the question and what already is known about the question?

3.Study methods—To what degree can the findings be accounted for by:

How participants were selected?

How key variables were defined and measured?

Confounding (false attribution of causality because two variables discovered to be associated actually are associated with a third factor)?

How information was interpreted?

Chance (as indicated by inferential statistics)?

4.Main findings—Does this study advance current knowledge? What do we know already?

5.Generalizability—How transportable are the findings to other settings, particularly to our practice and community?

6.Constituencies—Who are the constituencies for the findings, including patients, and how might they be engaged in interpreting or using the findings? Next steps/new questions—What are the next steps in interpreting or applying the findings? What new questions arise and how might they be best answered.

Attendance and enrollment

• A google form link will be shared called Journal Club Meeting
• Participants may enroll trough this link (every session)
• Session enrollment, please contact Maria Fernanda Villarreal, M.D. [3]

Resources

• Wiki Journal Club - URL http://wikijournalclub.org/wiki/Main_Page - This site provides physician-reviewed summaries of the top studies in medical research.