Impact of a journal club on the self-efficacy, expectations, and intentions of nursing students toward evidence-based results

Introduction: Nursing associations require that nurses develop the skills to integrate evidence into practice to support the quality of care.
Context: Lack of self-confidence in the operational steps of evidence-based practice was identified as a barrier to integrating evidence into nursing practice.
Objective: To assess the effect of a journal club (JC) on nursing students’ self-efficacy (SE), expectations, and intentions to use evidence.
Method: Quasi-experimental, longitudinal approach with a non-randomized comparison group.
Results: The development of SE toward the use of evidence-based practices favored students who participated in the JC (n=48) compared to students who received a conventional educational modality (CEM) (n=50). However, there was no significant group x time interaction effect on expectations or intentions.
Discussion: The significant positive changes beyond the CEM may be explained by the fact that the JC incorporated modes of influence on SE.
Conclusion: The positive effect associated with the JC on SE is difficult to sustain without continued practice. It is important to maintain high outcome expectations within nursing training.