Perceived utility of journal club by residents of a private medical college of Central India

Introduction- Journal Club (JC) is an established academic exercise in the residency training curriculum to obtain critical appraisal skills, update knowledge on current literature and enhance proficiency in clinical practice. Objective - To determine the effectiveness of journal clubs by seeking evidence of residents' satisfaction with journal club. Materials and Methods-Study Type: Cross - Sectional Study; Study Period: November 2011; Study Site: R.D. Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India. Method: All the postgraduates student of 2nd and 3rd year of institute are included in study and interviewed by using a structured questionnaire. Responses to 13 questions were recorded on on -item Likert scale. Result- The participants rated workshops as the most preferred method of continuing education. 60% of the respondents perceived a change in critical appraisal skill as a result of attending JC. To keep up with current literature was rated by the residents as the most important goal of journal club. 45.71% agreed to the fact that mock presentation is a valuable exercise while preparing for journal club. Conclusion-Journal clubs can be effective in the training of residents to meet their core competencies. Educational value of preparing for journal club is the most rated utility of journal - club. They can enable residents to develop the knowledge; expertise and enthusiasm needed to undertake research plans enhancing their ability in critical thinking and scientific reading. Recommendation- Currently the effectiveness of Journal - club meetings in postgraduate medical education is unreported. Present Study achieved greater than 95 percent response rate, yet the sample represents only one medical college of M.R Therefore, generalization requires caution and further explorative studies are required in this direction. Improved faculty participation in the journal club is required.