Self-Directed, Higher-Level Learning Through Journal Club Debates

Purpose Journal clubs are frequently used by healthcare educators to support learner’s critical thinking and clinical application. However, there is a lack of evidence to support the effectiveness of this learning tool for both the learner utilizing this tool and those in attendance. Debates have been proven to support critical thinking and communication skills. Method A journal club debate format and rubric were created to promote an engaging format for effective interpretation and application of drug information among fourth year pharmacy students and residents. Sections from relevant articles identified in a literature search were used to create a journal club debate format and rubric. This updated tool was used with pairs of pharmacy students and pharmacy residents. Feedback was obtained from the learners and the pharmacy preceptors in attendance. Results A journal club debate is generally well accepted by both learners and preceptors. Benefits include promotion of critical thinking, interpretation of evidence in the scope of supporting literature, and deeper understanding of the relevant disease state and treatment. Opportunities to improve may be the inclusion of limited visual aids for supporting evidence and the expansion of time for discussion and rebuttals. Conclusion Journal club debates are an engaging learning tool to promote and develop drug information identification, evaluation, and application to clinical practice among pharmacy students and residents.