Beginning and Sustaining a Journal Club

Journal clubs are a rewarding way to build research capacity within an organization. Journal clubs promote evidence-based nursing by providing a method of increasing knowledge about current nursing practice and research. Nurses gather in an atmosphere of sharing and trust to perform a scholarly article critique, discussing a research article that all members should read before the meeting date.  Journal clubs can provide on-going opportunities to develop research capacity over time. 

 As part of NTAHI’s efforts to build research capacity, Uganda team provided a seminar in 2009 on how to implement a national journal club in Uganda.  The participants were eager to learn and excited about the possibility of continuing their development on their own between the team’s visits.  The seminar resulted in a schedule for the year that included prearranged dates, venues, and appointment of an informal leader to guide article discussion.  When the team returned in 2010, they learned the journal club had met each month since our previous trip. A follow-up seminar provided content on establishing regional journal clubs with monthly journal club leaders serving as local experts, and encouraged dissemination of journal club discussions in Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union’s newly established nursing newsletter.

 The purpose of this presentation is to describe the process of developing a journal club in Africa and key elements needed for sustainability of a journal club, including leadership support and meeting local nursing needs.