Comparison of Students' Satisfaction toward Journal Club Sessions of the Surgical Department in the Presence and Absence of an Epidemiologist or Statistics Specialist in Ali-Ibn Abi Talib Hospital in Rafsanjan in 2021:A Descriptive Study

Today, Journal Club is one of the most effective methods in medical education that is used in almost all medical universities. The aim of this study was to determine the students' satisfaction toward journal club sessions of the surgical department in the presence and absence of an epidemiologist or statistics specialist in Ali-Ibn Abi Talib Hospital in Rafsanjan in 2021.

In this descriptive study, 6 sessions were held with and 8 without the presence of an expert. The target population, all medical students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences studying in the surgery department in the summer of 2021, was included in the study using census. Data collection was done through a researcher-made questionnaire of 32 questions whose validity and reliability were confirmed. Data were analyzed using independent t-test.

The average (standard deviation) satisfaction score in sessions with the presence of an expert (78.79±16.71) was significantly higher than the average satisfaction score in the sessions without the presence of an expert (66.69±10.73) (p<0.001). The average score of satisfaction from the journal-club meetings in the meetings with the presence of an expert according to being male (p<0.001), studying at an internship level (p<0.001), having a total GPA greater than or equal to 17 (p<0.001), having experience in attending the journal club meetings (p<0.001), knowing about the subject of the article (p<0.001), studying about the subject of the article (p<0.001), passing the unit of medical statistics and research methods (p<0.001), holding regular meetings (p<0.001), holding meetings at specific hours (p<0.001), and holding meetings online (p<0.001) were significantly more than meetings without the presence of an expert.

According to the obtained results, the presence of people such as respected experts in epidemiology and statistics in the journal club meetings improves the satisfaction and the impact of the meetings in the education of students.