Prevalence of Journal Clubs: A Survey of Clinical Pastoral Education Residencies in the United States.

Journal clubs are an established and effective method of promoting research literacy and evidence-based practice in the medical field. However, their use in clinical pastoral education (CPE) residencies is relatively new and largely unstudied. In 2016 we surveyed 201 ACPE certified educators of CPE residency programs throughout the United States. Eighty-eight certified educators participated in this first-of-its-kind study. Our aim was to determine the prevalence and structure of existing CPE journal clubs and establish baseline data to determine the effectiveness of future programs for increasing research literacy. Seventy-three percent of respondents indicated they did not have a journal club. Journal clubs that do exist tend to meet at least monthly and last one to two hours. Chaplains, certified educators, or chaplain residents lead the majority of journal clubs. Seventy percent of respondents whose programs had journal clubs indicated they were interested to learn more about journal clubs. Journal clubs do not appear to be common in CPE residencies and chaplains may feel unprepared to lead them. CPE journal clubs would likely be strengthened by collaboration with other disciplines and from additional training for CPE certified educators. We offer suggestions to this end as well as areas for further research.