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A Randomized Control Trial

Mark Linzer, MD; J. Trig Brown, MD, MPH; Linda M. Frazier, MD; Elizabeth R. DeLong, PhD; William C. Siegel, MD, MPH

JAMA. 1988;260(17):2537-2541.

Abstract
The journal club is an established teaching modality in many house-staff training programs. To determine if a journal club improves house-staff reading habits, knowledge of epidemiology and biostatistics, and critical appraisal skills, we randomized 44 medical interns to receive either a journal club or a control seminar series. A test instrument developed by the Delphi method was administered before and after the interventions (mean, five journal club sessions). By self-report, 86% of the house staff in the journal club group improved their reading habits vs 0% in the control group. Knowledge scores increased more in the journal club group than in the control group, and a trend was found toward more knowledge gained as more sessions were attended. Ability to appraise critically a test article increased slightly in each group, but there was no significant difference between the groups. We conclude that a journal club is a powerful motivator of critical house-staff reading behavior and can help teach epidemiology and biostatistics to physicians-in-training.

(JAMA 1988;260:2537-2541)

Author Affiliations
From the Division of General Internal Medicine, the Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center (Drs Linzer, Brown, Frazier, and Siegel), and the Health Services Research Field Program, Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center (Dr DeLong), Durham, NC.

Footnotes
Presented at the National Meeting of the Society for General Internal Medicine, Washington, DC, April 29, 1988.

Reprint requests to Box 3040, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710 (Dr Linzer).

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