Using an online journal club to improve Asian speakers’ comfort in using English to discuss and understand research papers written in English

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the participants’ comfort in understanding research papers written in English and discussing such research in English via an Asian online journal club. Methods: A self-administered online survey was delivered to seven journal club meeting attendees from July 2020 to July 2021. A customer satisfaction analysis was performed to assess the association between the participants’ perspectives on program logistics and satisfaction. Results: The recovery rate was 37.0% (44/119). After participating in the journal club, the median scores of critical appraisal skills, knowledge and/or pharmaceutical care skills in clinical practice, and discussion skills in English (assessed using a seven-point Likert scale) improved significantly (compared to pre-participation median scores) from 4 (interquartile range [IQR]: 3–5) to 5 (IQR: 4–6), 5 (IQR: 4–5) to 5 (IQR: 5–6), and 4 (IQR: 2–5) to 5 (IQR: 3–5), respectively (P < 0.0001). The respondents also expressed great appreciation for the benefits and overall qualities of the journal club. Additionally, regarding patient care behavior after participation in the journal club, 34 (77.3%), 17 (38.6%), 16 (36.4%), and 14 (31.8%) respondents reported improvement in “drug information services,” “patient assessments,” “patient counseling,” and “multidisciplinary rounds,” respectively. Customer satisfaction analysis revealed that sharing information, mutual discussion, a shift system of presenters and co-chairs, and session duration should be improved as a matter of highest priority. Conclusion: The findings suggest that our program could be helpful for Asian pharmacists, pharmacy students, and faculty members of the department of pharmacy.