LAUSR

‘Promoting evidence-based nursing through journal clubs’ is an interesting paper where the exploration of current literature is reviewed using an integrative approach. There is a reasonable explanation and exploration of the use of journal clubs within nursing and the perceived benefits it may hold. In recent years it has been documented how useful journal clubs are for the medical community and it is common practice within this field; however, there has been little application within nursing academia. The methodology and inclusion criteria are explained; the literature search narrowed the literature down to 13 articles. From these 13 studies the authors were able to gather information which will make setting up journal clubs in the future more achievable. There was an exploration of the literature to establish the effectiveness of journal clubs and their perceived benefits. However, research indicating the application of theory into practice was limited and it is clear that further research is needed to establish this. However, there are clear benefits stated, such as reducing the knowledge-practice gap, increasing the ability to apply evidence in professional practice and patient care, and promoting and improving presentation writing and communication skills. There are clear challenges documented and little explanation about how to overcome these challenges effectively. Most of the challenges discussed centre around nurses’ confidence in presentation skills and confidence in reviewing articles. Which when looking at the perceived benefits journal clubs will promote this once established. Additionally, challenges such as work commitments, timings of clubs and lack of cooperation of organisations are discussed. These challenges seem to be a crucial component of how to organise and how to best run a journal club, which is demonstrated by the advice given within the paper on how to