1 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9
I
t's critical to stay
up to date on the
latest clinical
research, but how do
you find the time?
Start a weekly journal
club. Every Thursday
for our adult recon-
struction service, 1 fel-
low, our resident team
and any students
whose schedules permit gather for around 45 minutes to review and
dissect 2 articles — recent clinical studies or classic articles from
peer-reviewed journals — that support a weekly topic that we cover
in our Tuesday morning lecture. Not only does the weekly journal
club keep our team current on the latest literature and spark some
lively discussion on new trends, but it's also directly led to a number
of changes at our facility. A few examples:
• We started using a tranexamic acid after analyzing research that
stated it was effective at preventing the need for blood transfusions
and infections.
• We stopped using certain enhanced bipolar cautery devices that
were proven to be ineffective.
• We altered some perioperative protocols to help optimize patients
prior to surgery.
Brett Levine, MD, MS
Rush University Medical Center
JOURNAL CLUB
Weekly Research Reviews Keep Us Up to Date
• LIVELY DISCUSSION At Rush University Medical Center, a weekly journal club
has not only kept the joint reconstruction team up to date on the latest research,
it's also directly led to some policy changes.
Brett
Levine,
MD,
MS
Chicago, Ill.
chaafoundation@gmail.com