Engaging nurses in research awareness using a new style of hospital journal club - a descriptive evaluation

Background: Nurses, especially nurses in Africa, face barriers when trying to access and apply literature. These challenges include paywalls; complex academic language; and journal content which is hard to translate to local realities. Objectives: To investigate nurses' self-reported experiences of participating in a monthly hospital wide journal club at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCWMCH). Design: This descriptive study used a researcher-designed quantitative questionnaire design. The Revised Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE 2.0) guideline were used. Setting: Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCWMCH) in Cape Town, South Africa. Participants: All cadres of nurses working at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCWMCH) who had attended six or more hospital journal club sessions at RCWMCH over the previous two years. Methods: A descriptive study using a researcher-designed quantitative questionnaire. Results: 155 participants completed the survey (96.87% response rate). Participants self-reported an improved knowledge of the main sections of a journal article (p < 0.001) and a significant increase in talking to colleagues about evidence-based nursing practice after attending journal club (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Attendance at a journal club appears to contribute to increased access to scientific literature, personal and organisational habits of reading, and collaborative exploration of clinical practice for nurses of all cadres. Innovative facilitation methods (including large-scale graphic facilitation) may contribute to efficacy and popularity of sessions.