PHA 599: Critical Care APPE Journal Club
Guidelines
Students shall
provide a copy of the article to all participants by the date indicated in
their clerkship
calendar. The article must fall under the following criteria:
·
Topic
that pertains to critical care pharmacotherapy or the relationship of
drug therapy to the care of the critically ill, or a topic of recent interest to the practice of
clinical pharmacy (must have been published within the last six months).
·
Clinical
trial published in a peer-reviewed journal (no newsletter articles, review
articles, editorials, case reports, etc.)
·
Topic
should have possible implications for patient care or the practice of pharmacy.
Presentations
are to be approximately 30 minutes in length. A grade reduction will be
incurred for failure to adhere to time limits. In addition the student will
provide a handout for all participants, which should be no more than one
double-sided page (Times New Roman or Arial 12-point font).
Article Evaluation/Presentation
I.
The
journal
A.
Peer
reviewed?
B.
Affiliated
with a professional organization or society?
C.
Is it
primarily academic or are there articles, sections and content such as
advertisements that would lead you to question its reputation
II.
The
article
A.
General
comments
1.
Author
expertise and qualifications
a)
Previous
publications
b)
Experience
with topic
2.
Statistician
used
3.
Was any
financial support provided
a)
Independent
b)
Industry
c)
Grants
4.
Other
conflicts of interest
B.
Title
1.
Descriptive?
2.
Reflects
objectives?
3.
Does it
imply unsubstantiated conclusions
C.
Abstract
1.
Accurate
and concise
2.
Does it
summarize the major findings of the study
3.
Objectives,
methods, results, conclusions – not just favorable findings
D.
Introduction
1.
Study
rationale
a)
Logical
b)
Sufficient
detail on study background
2.
Purpose
a)
Clear
b)
Unbiased
3.
Objectives
a)
Well-defined
b)
Measurable
c)
Logical
E.
Methods
Discuss
the study methods, step-by-step (as written in the article)
1.
Logical?
2.
Sufficient
detail, or are you left guessing
3.
Contemporary
or outdated methods?
4.
References
to standard methods?
5.
Description
of modified methods, if applicable
6.
Patient
selection methods
a)
Inclusion
and exclusion criteria – logical, all-inclusive
b)
Bias and
methods to control bias?
7.
Study
design
a)
Supports
objectives
b)
Study
location – single center vs. multicenter
c)
Appropriate
controls used
(1)
Placebo
(2)
Gold-standard
treatment
(3)
Patient
as own control
d)
Blinding: single vs double
e)
Randomization
procedure used
f)
Washout,
if necessary
g)
Appropriate
doses and duration of therapy
h)
Sufficient
follow-up
i)
Adherence
assessment (e.g., pill counts, diaries, blood levels)
j)
Methods
to assess adverse reactions
k)
Was the
study ethical (IRB approved?)
l)
What
were the study endpoints
F.
Statistical
Tests
1.
What was
the sample size
a)
How was
it determined
b)
What change
or difference (%) were the authors looking for
2.
What was
the study power
3.
What
statistical tests were used and were they appropriate?
G.
Results
1.
Review
the patient demographics
a)
Are the
groups matched
b)
If not
what are the discrepancies
2.
Did they
enroll the desired types of patients according to inclusion/exclusion criteria
3.
Are the
patients representative of the population you may be treating
4.
Patient
withdrawal description
a)
Adverse
effect on sample size?
b)
Intention
to treat?
5.
Describe
all results listed
a)
Are all the
study measurements reported
b)
Logical,
unbiased interpretations?
c)
Do
results in text match with results in tables/graphs
6.
Did they
present any adverse reactions
H.
Discussion
1.
Were the
objectives met; and if not, why
2.
Are the
results put in perspective to available information
3.
References
to unpublished work
4.
References
to authors’ own work
5.
Is there
any speculation; adequate data interpretation
6.
Conclusions
supported by data
7.
Do the
authors try to extrapolate results to other populations?
8.
Are study
limitations discussed
I.
Conclusions
1.
Authors’
feelings about application of results
2.
Plans or
need for further study
J.
References
1.
Key
articles referenced
2.
Overzealous
references to authors’ publications
3.
Primary
vs. tertiary literature
III.
Applications
A.
Impact
on practice and the patients you treat
B.
Clinical
vs. statistical significance