Multiinstitutional Evaluation of a Debate-Style Journal Club for Cardiothoracic Surgery Trainees

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Traditional journal clubs offer limited breadth and depth.
• A novel debate-style journal club was implemented in a multiinstitutional setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a debate-style journal club for cardiothoracic surgery trainees.
• To assess improvements in knowledge acquisition, retention, and clinical application of evidence.

Main Methods:

• Six institutions participated from 2015-2019.
• Cardiothoracic surgery trainees engaged in 10 monthly debates per academic year.
• A curriculum included instructions, scenarios, articles, and assessments.

Main Results:

• Trainee performance on evidence-based medicine and critical appraisal exams improved significantly (55.2% to 76.3%, P=.040).
• Scores on debated topics improved by 27.1% compared to non-debated topics (P=.006).
• Trainees and faculty favored the debate format for literature familiarity, presentation skills, and clinical application.

Conclusions:

• The debate-style journal club is an effective educational intervention.
• It enhances trainees' ability to acquire, retain, and apply literature-based evidence.
• This method improves clinical reasoning and practice in cardiothoracic surgery.