Original CommunicationTeaching practicing surgeons critical appraisal skills with an Internet-based journal club: a randomized, controlled trial☆
Section snippets
Study population
All 838 active members of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons were contacted by letter and invited to participate in the trial. The requirements for participation outlined in the letter were that the surgeon must have access to the Internet and to E-mail, must agree to being randomized, and must agree to complete a written examination. Surgeons with postgraduate training in clinical epidemiology were excluded from the study. Participants were enrolled by a research assistant (M.M.).
Study design and intervention
Study population
Letters were sent to 838 surgeons on the membership list of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons inviting them to participate in the trial. Of these, 150 surgeons initially expressed interest in participating in the Evidence-based Reviews in Surgery (EBRS) program; after all of the requirements of the study were outlined, only 86 agreed to participate. Three were excluded prior to randomization, and another 2 were excluded after randomization (1 in each group) because they had previous
Discussion
Central to the practice of evidence-based medicine is the ability to critically appraise articles, allowing one to draw conclusions regarding the internal and external validity and generalizability of the study. Despite the importance of critical appraisal to the evaluation and implementation of findings from the medical literature, no studies address how developed these skills are in the practicing community, and no reported studies on how to teach critical appraisal to practicing physicians
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2020, Journal of Surgical EducationCitation Excerpt :Planning such meetings to accommodate all schedules can prove difficult leading to poor attendance rates and missed learning opportunities. The recent increased use of online platforms such as twitter and dedicated forums has provided a possible solution to this issue.7,8 There are drawbacks with this method with some studies suggesting low participation in these internet-based clubs compared with the didactic format.9
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Supported by the physicians of Ontario through the Physician's Services Incorporated. The program, Evidence-based Reviews in Surgery, is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Ethicon and Ethicon Endosurgery.