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Archives Journal Club Just a Click Away
Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH;
Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(10):957.
Just blink, and you will have missed the addition of countless pages of medical information to the global health care environment. Whether published as part of a peer-reviewed medical journal or as pages on a homegrown health advice Web site, such information is meant to affect how practitioners practice and how patients seek care. But does it?
Practicing medicine based on rigorous science is one of the core tenets of the medical profession.1 Among the 6 elements of quality medical care as outlined by the Institute of Medicine is that it be "effective," as determined through scientific inquiry.2
Knowing what is effective medical care and basing care on scientific knowledge requires that knowledge be continuously updated. As stated in the report on the Future of Pediatric Education II,3 "Clinicians must accept the challenge of life-long learning." The American Board of Pediatrics has also recognized the need for lifelong learning and has made it part of the requirements for maintenance of board certification. Medical education must be viewed as a continuum that begins in medical school and continues on through residency and fellowship, into practice. Without incorporating new knowledge into practice, clinical performance deteriorates over time.
How can the practicing pediatrician acquire new knowledge? Each year, many individuals spend thousands of dollars and many hours attending continuing medical education courses. However, classic lecture-style continuing medical education is largely ineffective in improving knowledge or performance.4
Rather, medical journals remain the main method of disseminating new information to the professional community. The combination of original research, reflective editorials, comprehensive review articles, and thought-provoking commentaries found in peer-reviewed journals provides a continuous stream of information for physicians to provide better care for their patients. Unfortunately, many pediatricians do not have a routine of regularly reading the peer-reviewed literature.
The habit of critical journal reading should begin during residency. While residency is a very busy time, the establishment of patterns for lifelong learning is an integral part of a resident's training. This month, the Archives is starting a new feature, Archives Journal Club, to help foster journal reading by residents and by more senior colleagues as well. Many residency programs have "journal clubs," for which a resident prepares a critique of an article and presents it to fellow residents. Each month, we will select an article that we believe is especially relevant for current clinical practice and have the authors prepare an electronic slide set summarizing the article. The article and slides will be available on the Archives Web site as free files for download.
We hope that Archives Journal Club will be an attractive resource for fellows, as well as other physicians and clinicians in practice. Our intention is that this new feature will make it easier for Archives readers with their busy schedules to read the medical literature, sharpen their critical analysis skills, and embark and continue on a path of lifelong learning.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Correspondence: Dr Rivara, Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, The Child Health Institute, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th St, 210, Seattle, WA 98115-8160 (archpediatrics{at}jama-archives.org).
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
REFERENCES
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1. ABIM Foundation. American Board of Internal Medicine; ACP-ASIM Foundation. American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine; European Federation of Internal Medicine. Medical professionalism in the new millennium: a physician charter. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136(3):243-246.
FREE FULL TEXT
2. Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2001.3. Simon JL, Chesney RW, Alden ER; et al. The Future of Pediatric Education II: organizing pediatric education to meet the needs of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults in the 21st century. Pediatrics. 2000;105(1, suppl):163-212.
FREE FULL TEXT
4. Forsetlund L, Bjørndal A, Rashidian A; et al. Continuing education meetings and workshops: effects on professional practice and health care outcomes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;(2):CD003030.
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