In the rapidly changing landscape of infection prevention, it is critical that professionals stay updated with the latest research, uphold evidence-based practices, and contribute to the ongoing improvement within their field. A journal watch in infection prevention is an innovative tool that can offer a solution to this challenge. These watches are essentially repositories of knowledge that can greatly benefit professionals in this field through interdisciplinary academic engagement, paving the way for quality improvement efforts as well as promoting education.
A noteworthy example of this approach is the year-long project undertaken by Benjamin C. Chen, MD, MPH, clinical assistant professor at Loma Linda University, and his associate Darcy Wooten, MD, MS, associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Chen and Wooten were inspired by the New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch, a newsletter that summarizes the latest medical research for its subscribers. Taking a leaf from this model, they created a similar resource for their Infectious Diseases division at UC San Diego.
Their methodology involved curating articles on a monthly basis, providing summaries and visual abstracts, and distributing them via a listserv, followed by surveys to assess the impact of this initiative. The pilot study, aptly titled “Infectious Diseases Journal Watch: A Pilot Study,” was presented at IDWeek 23 held in Boston, Massachusetts.
Despite acknowledging the heavy workload involved in producing these monthly journal watches, Chen and his team found the project to be ultimately rewarding. The project demanded a commitment to comprehensive literature review and summarized interpretations of selected high-yield articles each month.
However, it is clear that such an investment in time and resources pays off in terms of fostering a culture of constant learning, allowing professionals to keep pace with the swiftly evolving field of infection prevention. It serves as a testament to the potential of leveraging such tools for systematic education and quality improvement within the realm of infection prevention.