What is a TREAT journal club?
Journal clubs are used to help health professionals incorporate research evidence in their daily practice to ultimately improve patient and service outcomes. The “TREAT” journal club format stands for “Tailoring Research Evidence And Theory” – and was developed by a group of health professionals and researchers in 2015 at Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Queensland, Australia. Some unique features of TREAT journal clubs compared to standard journal clubs include:
- Journal club topics chosen as a group
- Article is appraised as a group during the session as opposed to only an individual presenting
- Defined roles which rotate between members.
- Each component of the format is based on research evidence
Evidence for benefits of TREAT
The TREAT journal club format has been investigated in a randomised controlled trial with 125 health professionals and an implementation study with 134 health professionals. Health professionals were significantly more satisfied using the TREAT format compared to standard journal club formats and reported increased interaction and skill development. Participants also demonstrated significantly improved Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) skills, improved self-reported confidence using EBP and reported changes to clinical practice including 88 health professionals reporting new treatments/resources adopted and 64 reporting clinical procedures being updated. We have also learnt key information about what helps sustain TREAT journal clubs, as detailed in Factors that influence the sustainability of structured allied health journal clubs: a qualitative study (nih.gov )).
Purpose of this website
This website aims to share resources and strategies to help health professionals implement TREAT journal clubs in their workplace. The website offers important insights we’ve learnt from our 6-year research journey investigating the TREAT journal club format. We are also continuing to evaluate the impact of TREAT journal clubs formed from resources available through this website in a research project.
Dr Rachel Wenke
Principal Research Fellow (Allied Health), Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Australia
Professor Sharon Mickan
Professor of Healthcare Innovations, Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine, Australia
Dr Paulina Stehlik
Institute for Evidence Based Healthcare, Bond University, Australia
Ms Katherine Richards
Allied Health Workforce Development Officer, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Australia
Dr Caitlin Brandenburg
Senior Project Officer, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Australia
Dr Jodie Wiseman
Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Australia
Dr David Chen
School of Information and Technology, Griffith University, Australia
Dr Gervase Tuxworth
School of Information and Technology, Griffith University, Australia
Dr John Gerard
Infectious Diseases, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Australia
Dr Janice Yeung
Dental Officer, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Australia
Dr Ian Hughes
Biostatistician, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Australia
