Purpose Medically-focused journal clubs have been used as an educational tool for over 100 years, with research indicating that they improve knowledge, reading behaviour, and critical appraisal skills. However, it is unknown how widespread they are in Australian medical schools, nor the opinions of medical education leaders as to their value. Methods A nationwide cross-sectional study was performed among academic leaders from every Australian medical school. Individuals were asked to complete a survey detailing their attitudes towards journal clubs using single- or multiple-answer questions, Likert scales, and ranked data. They were asked whether students at their institutions were able to partake in journal clubs, and if so, provided details on their implementation. Results At least 1 response was collected from 18 of 19 Australian medical schools. The response rate was 40.8% (60 of 147), and 36 responses (60.0%) were from heads of clinical schools. Respondents from 15 of 18 institutions (83.3%) stated that their institution had a journal club. Of these, 23 (65.7%) were metropolitan institutions and 12 (34.3%) were rural institutions. Eighteen (51.4%) journal clubs were clinician-led, 13 (37.1%) were run through specific hospital departments, and 23 (65.7%) occurred during clinical years. Most respondents (20 [57.1%]) stated that the primary aim of the journal club was to develop critical appraisal skills. Conclusion Journal clubs are a highly regarded educational tool in the armoury of medical school educators, with significant heterogeneity in their structure, geographic prevalence, and intended purpose. Further studies of their efficacy in teaching evidence-based medicine is warranted.

中文翻译：

---

澳大利亚医学院的期刊俱乐部：流行，应用和教育者的见解

目的专注于医学的期刊俱乐部已被用作一种教育工具已有100多年的历史，研究表明它们可以提高知识，阅读行为和批判性评估技能。但是，尚不清楚它们在澳大利亚医学院中的普及程度，也不知道医学教育领导人对其价值的看法。方法对来自澳大利亚每所医学院的学术领袖进行了一项全国性的横断面研究。要求个人完成调查，使用单答案或多答案问题，李克特量表和排名数据详细说明他们对期刊俱乐部的态度。他们被问及所在机构的学生是否能够参加期刊俱乐部，如果可以，请提供有关实施的详细信息。结果从19所澳大利亚医学院中的18所收集到至少1份回复。回应率为40.8％（在147个案例中占60个），其中36个回应（60.0％）来自临床学校负责人。来自18个机构中的15个的受访者（占83.3％）说，他们的机构有日记俱乐部。在这些机构中，有23个（65.7％）是大都市机构，在12个（34.3％）是农村机构。有18个（51.4％）期刊俱乐部由临床医生领导，有13个（37.1％）通过特定的医院部门运营，而在临床年份有23个（65.7％）。大多数受访者（20 [57.1％]）表示，期刊俱乐部的主要目的是发展批判性评估技能。结论期刊俱乐部是医学院教育工作者队伍中备受推崇的教育工具，在结构，地理流行度和预期目的上存在很大的异质性。