Journal clubs in palliative care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Journal clubs in palliative care: the evaluation of a Toolkit to support the implementation of a hospice multidisciplinary journal club
IRAS ID
325173
Contact name
Amarachukwu Nwosu
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Lancaster University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NA, NA
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
A journal club is an educational event where staff can discuss research, to learn how this can support practice. Evidence shows that journal clubs are useful tools to support staff development and can help to improve clinical practice. Several challenges prevent hospices from experiencing the benefits of journal clubs. These challenges include a lack of knowledge of the benefits of journal clubs, organisational difficulties, and an inadequate skill mix to effectively run sessions. In this study, we aim to overcome these challenges, by determining the feasibility of using of a Toolkit to support implementation of a palliative care journal club in a UK hospice.
We have designed a Toolkit to help palliative care healthcare professionals implement a journal club in hospices, based on the model of the successful Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool (MCHL) journal club. Over 6 months we will work with senior management at St Marys hospice Ulverston to implement the journal club, using a stepwise process identified in the Toolkit. We will determine the impact of the Toolkit, by collecting data on the number of journal clubs conducted, the number of attendees and the research questions generated. We will ask hospice staff to complete an electronic questionnaire to provide their views about the journal club. We will conduct qualitative interviews with staff responsible for the project implementation, to determine their views and opinions of the process. We will use this data to make necessary changes and improvements to the Toolkit so it can be shared nationally (at no cost) with hospice leaders to support the implementation of palliative care journal clubs in hospices throughout the UK.
REC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/PR/1196
Date of REC Opinion
25 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion