Fostering confidence in critical thinking and research appraisal skills through Journal Club participation: an action research study

Evidence based nursing is an essential element of modern nursing practice. Nurses require an understanding of research appraisal and critical thinking skills. However, evidence suggests that many nurses lack confidence in these skills. Lecturer observation of post-registration nurses undertaking a ‘top-up’ degree corroborated this and identified weaknesses in research utilisation skills. As a result a single round of an action research model was undertaken. This research aimed to explore the views of these nurses on the impact of the journal club on perceived confidence in appraising and utilising research within the academic environment. Seven undergraduate post-registration intensive care nurses participated in the study during 2014. Focus groups were used to collect data pre and post the journal club programme. Data were analysed using thematic and descriptive data analysis. As a result of the programme, participants reported an increase in confidence following completion of the journal club programme. This study identifies that in this context, participation in a journal club programme improves the confidence of undergraduate post-registration nurses’ skills in engaging with clinical research.