Merging the Traditional with the New CME-accredited Twitter Journal Clubs

Abstract

Twitter journal clubs are increasingly popular amongst healthcare providers. Most journal clubs rely on voluntary physician participation. Offering continuing medical education credit may incentivize and improve these journal clubs.In this investigation a series of 5 consecutive publication-sponsored Twitter journal clubs were analyzed in calendar year 2016, in which the latter 3 journal clubs offered CME credit. Various quality metrics were measured and analyzed to identify sustainable improvements in those journal clubs that offered CME credit.Overall, Twitter journal clubs that offered CME credit performed better in certain quality metrics, to wit activity, originality, and evidence-based tweeting, but fared poorly in number of and type of participant interactions.Twitter journal clubs are in their infancy and physician participation remains steady. Offering CME credit improves certain quality metrics within these journal clubs. This investigation should encourage more publications to sponsor CME-accredited Twitter journal clubs.