Abstract
Nurses are a critical component of the healthcare delivery system, weaving together science, critical thinking, empathy, compassion, and empowerment to deliver relational, expert care (Wood et al., 2023). To translate current evidence into practices that transform healthcare, nurses need to have confidence in their ability to access, evaluate, and integrate evidence. To provide compassionate, relational care, nurses themselves need to be well. This project sought to address both goals: transforming healthcare delivery by improved nurse wellbeing through peer collaboration and enhanced confidence in evidence-based practice (EBP) skills.
EBP is the intentional use of current, relevant research combined with sound clinical judgment to determine best care practices (Melnyk et al., 2014). Sadly, nurses often lack confidence in their ability to access, evaluate, and integrate current evidence into their practice, in other words, they lack EBP self-efficacy (EBP SE) (Boswell et al., 2020). Improving nurses’ EBP SE could improve the translation of research to practice and ultimately transform care delivery. Another critical component of high-quality care delivery is ensuring the wellbeing of the healthcare team. When nurses are unwell, patient outcomes are hindered, with increased incidence of medical errors, hospital-acquired infections, and overall mortality (Melnyk et al., 2018). Social connectedness in nurses has been linked to improved wellbeing (Wood et al., 2022, 2023). Promoting and supporting peer collaboration among clinicians can improve wellbeing and ultimately support quality care delivery.
Journal and book clubs have proven useful in developing and maintaining research and EBP skills (Valizadeh et al., 2022), and in promoting social connectedness among nursing staff (Peacock et al., 2020; Kelsey et al., 2023). However, some nurses find it difficult to participate in journal clubs because of scheduling barriers or competing priorities during non-work hours (Peacock et al., 2020). Virtual journal clubs (VJC) transcend these barriers and can increase engagement and enthusiasm (Rosen & Ryan, 2019). This research study engaged participants in three VJC sessions that taught EBP skills through critical evaluation of current research while building community through interactive discussions.
The overarching objectives of this research study are to improve the wellbeing of nurses and increase the translation of high-quality evidence to nursing practice. The central hypothesis is that participation in a VJC improves nurses’ EBP SE and psychological sense of community (PSC). Through a pre- / post- intervention study design we found that VJC participation improved both EBP SE (measured using the Evidence-Based Nursing Practice Self-Efficacy Scale) and PSC (measured using the Psychological Sense of Community Scale). While the improvement in these scores were not statistically significant due to our small sample size, we did note relevant influence. Specifically, participants reported excitement about asking relevant clinical questions and a strong desire to continue collegial discussions around current evidence. VJC are an effective strategy for engaging nurses in an activity that supports both knowledge, critical practice appraisal, and social connectedness with peers.
Notes
References:
Boswell, C., Ashcraft, A., Long, J., Cannon, S., DiVito‐Thomas, P., & Delaney, T. (2020). Self‐efficacy: Changing the tide of evidence‐based practice. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 17(2), 129–135. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12434
Kelsey, E. A., West, C. P., Fischer, K. M., & Croghan I., T. (2023). Well-being in the workplace: A book club among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 14. 1-5. DOI: 10.1177/21501319231161441
(seminal work) Melnyk, B.M., Gallagher-Ford, L., Long, L.E., Fineout-Overholt, E., 2014. The establishment of evidence-based practice competencies for practicing registered nurses and advanced practice nurses in real-world clinical settings: proficiencies to improve healthcare quality, reliability, patient outcomes, and costs. Worldviews Evid.-Based Nurs. 11 (1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12021
Melnyk, B. M., Orsolini, L., Tan, A., Arslanian-Engoren, C., Melkus, G. D. E., Dunbar-Jacob, J., Rice, V. H., Millan, A., Dunbar, S. B., Braun, L. T., Wilbur, J., Chyun, D. A., Gawlik, K., & Lewis, L. M. (2018). A national study links nurses’ physical and mental health to medical errors and perceived worksite wellness. Journal of Occupational and Environmental
Ney, D. B., Ankam, N., Wilson, A., Spandorfer, J. (2023). The implementation of a required book club for medical students and faculty. Medical Education Online, 28, 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2023.2173045
Peacock, A., Ward-Smith, P., & Elmore, R. (2020). Providing an online nursing journal club and ensuring the rigor of the experience. Nursing for Women’s Health, 24(6), 453-459. doi: 10.1016/j.nwh.2020.09.005
Rosen, J., & Ryan, M. (2019). A virtual nursing journal club. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(12), 610–616. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000824
Valizadeh, L., Zamanzadeh, V., Alizadeh, S., & Vosoughi, M. N. (2022). Promoting evidenced-based nursing through journal clubs: An integrative review. Journal of Research in Nursing, 27(7), 606-620. DOI: 10.1177/17449871211022799
Wood, R. E., Brown, R., Kinser, P. (2022). The connection between loneliness and burnout: An integrative review. Applied Nursing Research. https://doi.org/10/1016/j.aprn.2022.151609
Wood, R. E., Bleich, M., Chung, J., Elswick, R. K., Nease, E., Sargent, L., & Kinser, P. A. (2023). A mixed-methods exploration of nurse loneliness and burnout during COVID-19. Applied Nursing Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2023.151716
Sigma Membership
Beta Kappa
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Scientific Literacy, Scientific Communication, Teaching Methods, Cross-cultural Studies, Journal Club, Translational Research, Peer Collaboration
Recommended Citation
Wood, Rachel E. and Huston, Joy, "Virtual Journal Club- A Strategy to Improve Evidence Translation and Peer Collaboration" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 100.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/100
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-03-03
Virtual Journal Club- A Strategy to Improve Evidence Translation and Peer Collaboration
Washington, DC, USA
Nurses are a critical component of the healthcare delivery system, weaving together science, critical thinking, empathy, compassion, and empowerment to deliver relational, expert care (Wood et al., 2023). To translate current evidence into practices that transform healthcare, nurses need to have confidence in their ability to access, evaluate, and integrate evidence. To provide compassionate, relational care, nurses themselves need to be well. This project sought to address both goals: transforming healthcare delivery by improved nurse wellbeing through peer collaboration and enhanced confidence in evidence-based practice (EBP) skills.
EBP is the intentional use of current, relevant research combined with sound clinical judgment to determine best care practices (Melnyk et al., 2014). Sadly, nurses often lack confidence in their ability to access, evaluate, and integrate current evidence into their practice, in other words, they lack EBP self-efficacy (EBP SE) (Boswell et al., 2020). Improving nurses’ EBP SE could improve the translation of research to practice and ultimately transform care delivery. Another critical component of high-quality care delivery is ensuring the wellbeing of the healthcare team. When nurses are unwell, patient outcomes are hindered, with increased incidence of medical errors, hospital-acquired infections, and overall mortality (Melnyk et al., 2018). Social connectedness in nurses has been linked to improved wellbeing (Wood et al., 2022, 2023). Promoting and supporting peer collaboration among clinicians can improve wellbeing and ultimately support quality care delivery.
Journal and book clubs have proven useful in developing and maintaining research and EBP skills (Valizadeh et al., 2022), and in promoting social connectedness among nursing staff (Peacock et al., 2020; Kelsey et al., 2023). However, some nurses find it difficult to participate in journal clubs because of scheduling barriers or competing priorities during non-work hours (Peacock et al., 2020). Virtual journal clubs (VJC) transcend these barriers and can increase engagement and enthusiasm (Rosen & Ryan, 2019). This research study engaged participants in three VJC sessions that taught EBP skills through critical evaluation of current research while building community through interactive discussions.
The overarching objectives of this research study are to improve the wellbeing of nurses and increase the translation of high-quality evidence to nursing practice. The central hypothesis is that participation in a VJC improves nurses’ EBP SE and psychological sense of community (PSC). Through a pre- / post- intervention study design we found that VJC participation improved both EBP SE (measured using the Evidence-Based Nursing Practice Self-Efficacy Scale) and PSC (measured using the Psychological Sense of Community Scale). While the improvement in these scores were not statistically significant due to our small sample size, we did note relevant influence. Specifically, participants reported excitement about asking relevant clinical questions and a strong desire to continue collegial discussions around current evidence. VJC are an effective strategy for engaging nurses in an activity that supports both knowledge, critical practice appraisal, and social connectedness with peers.
Description
This international research project examined the impact of virtual journal club (VJC) participation on evidence translation and peer collaboration. A series of three VJC sessions presented current research and taught evidence translation skills to participants from the US and Ireland. VJCs increased engagement with research and promoted peer connection.