Evaluating a web-based paediatric infectious diseases journal club: more than just critical appraisal?

Dear editor, We describe the development and evaluation of a webbased, paediatric infectious diseases (PID) journal club (JC). A coordinated roster with monthly submissions from 11 clinical sites has increased knowledge-sharing, member-engagement and opportunities for trainees to be mentored in critical appraisal writing. The JC is now in its third year with ongoing educational value to this sub-specialty group. Reported characteristics of successful JC include making attendance mandatory, small programs, teaching critical appraisal skills, having a moderator trained in critical appraisal and making food available [1,2]. We describe an online JC initiative by the Australia and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ANZPID) group that has none of the above attributes. In December 2011, ANZPID, the paediatric special interest group of the Australian Society of Infectious Diseases (ASID), started a JC page on the ASID website. After 6 months, an online JC was formally established (www.asid.net.au/groups/paediatric-id-journal-club) with a PID specialist as the coordinator. JC appraisals are submitted by ANZPID members and it is primarily aimed at this group, but the website is available to anyone at the above URL. This international collaboration of a subspecialty group is a novel method for sharing knowledge and engaging members of which there are no examples in the paediatric literature and none with an evaluation. To assess the value and impact of this