Effect of Online Journal Club on Evidence-Based Practice Knowledge, Intent, and Utilization in School Nurses

Background: In the United States, an estimated 73,697 school nurses provide leadership in the provision of health care in the school setting. School nurses face challenges, such as providing quality health care in an educational setting and working in isolation. Journal clubs are one strategy to help incorporate evidence into practice. Aim: An online school nurse journal club for school nurses was conducted as a pilot project to determine feasibility for replication and potential expansion. Objectives: To determine if an online journal club changed knowledge of, and intent to use evidence. To determine if school nurses used the evidence in practice and felt more connected to colleagues. Methods: Three synchronous online journal club sessions were conducted for school nurses across three states. Thirty-five registered nurses enrolled and participation varied by session. Self-report surveys were used. Results: Participants increased their knowledge of evidence-based practice and shared evidence with stakeholders. Participants intended to and did use evidence in practice, including prioritizing based on evidence. Collegial connections increased. One of the most successful features was connecting authors of the articles directly to participants. Conclusions: A school nurse online journal club is one strategy to bring evidence to practitioners. Technology exists for nurses experiencing practice isolation to connect through online avenues. Nursing researchers, educators, and administrators seeking to disseminate research to school nurses or other clinical specialties could replicate or expand this project. Expanding online journal clubs would allow busy clinicians to connect with colleagues and researchers to integrate evidence into practice.