HLTH 2250 CHPT. 1-7

absolute risk

The actual probability or likelihood that an event will occur itself is often referred to as the absolute risk. The higher the absolute risk is, the more likely is it that the event will happen -although it still is not guaranteed to take place. This risk is understood by dividing the number of events (good or bad) in treated or control groups by the number of people in that group.

Describe research literacy as an issue related to health and community practice.

Research literacy: is the ability to locate, understand, and critically evaluate evidence for application in practice.

Ex: Parents may be misinformed and undecided on whether or not they wish to vaccinate their children; it is important that they are provided with substantial evidence to allow them to make an informed decision.

Describe the definition of research literacy for professional practitioners

Research literacy for professional practitioners involves the ability to find, evaluate, and apply research findings in their field. It includes skills like locating relevant research, critically evaluating study methods, interpreting findings, and integrating them into practice. Continuous learning is essential for staying updated with the latest research.

Describe the history of research literacy for professional practitioners.

Research literacy is an evolving subject, one that has emerged in response to our era of technological and knowledge explosions and an expanding emphasis on evidence-informed models of health and community practice.

Evidence informed decision making

The process of defining problems and questions; searching, appraising, and synthesising the available research evidence; and adapting, implementing, and evaluating best evidence for practice.

evidence-informed practice model

the practitioner bases treatment decisions on a blend of information from research evidence, patient values, and practitioner expertise and skills.

primary research paper

These are peer-reviewed reports of new research on a specific question (or questions).

research literacy

is an essential competency for evidence-informed practice. It is the ability to locate, understand, and critically evaluate evidence for application in practice.

research mindedness

• Comprehension of the significance and relationship of research to practice

• Abilities to draw on research to inform practice

• Awareness of various research approaches and strategies

• Appreciation of the strengths and limitations of different research methods

• Critical and open minded appraisal of research findings and literature

• REASEARCH LITERACY is a part of research mindedness

review article

Also known as a systemic reviews are also peer-reviewed but do not present new information; rather, they summarise multiple primary research articles to give a sense of a consensus, debates, and an unanswered questions within a field.

research literacy

Ability to locate, comprehend, and evaluate valid information and if applicable apply it to clinical practice

research capacity

is the ability to conduct research

Evidence-Informed Decision-Making Process Model

"Donkeys Singing And Salsas Are Incredibly Entertaining"

-I don't know if this needs to be remembered

epistemology

to reason with knowledge

evidence

relates to proof of rationality or information that has stood up to scrutiny by way of rigorous research, with the intention of generalizability to other contexts

explicit (propositional) knowledge

is formal and systematic, it is knowledge that can be expressed in words and numbers and can be easily communicated and shared.

Indigenous Knowledge(s)

is recognised as offering sustainable solutions to address other complex issues of colonisation of Indigenous Peoples. It is based on a worldview linked to the ecosystem, with reality structured by language and shared responsibility between generations to care for and translate traditional knowledge.

Information Literacy

the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements about information we find and use.

It is considered the set of learning and critical thinking skills necessary to access, evaluate, and use information effectively and efficiently.

knowledge

the aggregated information, facts, skills, and understanding about a subject that a person gains through education, experience, and reasoning

(Information and data that has been gathered, read, assembled, analyzed, synthesised, and evaluated)

research

is one form of evidence for practice decision making: it is a systematic, planned investigation of a specified problem that will contribute to understanding the phenomena in question.

tactit (non-propositional) knowledge

is described as something not easily visible and expressible. Tacit knowledge is highly personal, hard to formalise, and difficult to communicate. Consist of mental models, beliefs, and perspectives.

EX: Subjective insight, intuitions, and hunches fall into this category of knowledge.

review article

paper that summarises and comments on findings that were published as primary literature

Data

Facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis

Textbook: are actual words or measurements taken in a study to test the hypothesis or to explore issues of concern.

deductive

a type of reasoning explores a general idea and then tries to draw a particular conclusion. This approach begins with proposing a theory regarding a topic, then narrowing the issue down to a more specific hypothesis that can be tested, then collect observations to address the hypothesis.

-More narrow scope and is concerned with testing or confirming hypotheses

Theory-> Hypothesis-> Observation-> Confirmation

ethics

refers to a system of moral values or the way people distinguish right from wrong.

grounded theory

In the qualitative research methodology called grounded theory. The place of theory is more central to the lens that shape with what is being studies.

The grounded theory approach is a qualitative research methodology that attempts to unravel the meanings of people's interactions, social actions, and experiences.

inductive

Bottom up approach. Start with a specific observations and measures, then begin to detect patterns and regularities, formulate some tentative hypothesis that can be explored. Then finally, develop general conclusions or theories.

-More open ended and exploratory, especially at the beginning

Observation->Pattern

->Tentative hypothesis

->Theory

informed consent

means that subjects must know enough about the research to decide whether to participate, and they must agree to take part voluntarily. Furthermore, researchers have an ethical obligation to prevent both physical and mental harm to their subjects.

methodologies

a system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity. The general framework of the studies.

mixed-methods research

involves characteristics from both quantitative and qualitative methods.

qualitative research

Most associated with the social sciences and people-centred methods of inquiry. It is a way of looking at the world from the point of view of people.

-very inductive

-generated ideas and theories from what is observed during research

-cannot be readily measured or counted

-starts with a question

L=look and observe

Quantitative Research

It involves veiwing the world in ways that are measurable or provable. The quantitative elements of the method refers to the abiloty of research to quantify findings. Can be measured and is concerned with proof, case and effect, as well as demonstrates the association between variables.

N=for numbers

paradigm

a worldview or general prospective on the complexities of the world.

Research paradigm

An outline that guides the researcher in conceptualising and conducting the research

Positivism Paradigm

is described as emphasizing the rational and scientific. In other words, it embraces the assumption that reality out there can be known and studied independently from those being researched

constructivist paradigm

emphasises that reality is subjective, diverse, and mentally constructed by the person.

abstract

provides an overview of the study.

annotated bibliography

is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief(approximately 150 words in length descriptive and evaluative paragraph.

effect size

tells you how meaningful the relationship between variables or the difference between groups is

meta-synthesis

is a type of "qualitative study that uses as date the findings from other qualitative studies linked by the same of related topic"

peer-reviewed research

is intended to ensure only those studies with methods and findings that have been evaluated by other experts in the field and determined to be both original and of high quality are published.

PICO

Stands for: Patient Problem or population, Intervention or exposure, Comparison, Outcome

Is one of the best known tools for question formulation, emerging out of discussions around evidence-informed medicine

-Works with a question that are unanswerable through quantitative research

refereed

reviewed by two or more qualified readers before publication. peer- reviewed article may be refereed as such.

reporting bias

occurs when a source has the required knowledge but we question his or her willingness to convey it accurately

selection bias

A polling error in which the sample is not representative of the population being studied, so that some opinions are over- or underrepresented

systematic reviews

"use a specific procedure to search the research literature, select the studies to include in their review, and critically evaluate the studies they find.

literature review

is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers.

-In writing literature review, the purpose is to convey to readers your knowledge and ideas that have been established on a topic, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the concepts reviewed.

Defining your Research literature

-Define your research question. Must not be to broad.

-Define your targeted population and factors. Example, age, gender, ethnic identity, socioeconomic status, education levels, and pre-existing health conditions.

*be specific and intentional. If you want to explore health, what aspect of health...physical or mental?

Example of a research question: "Does message therapy reduce the pain associated with migraine headaches?"

grey literature

unpublished evidence that has not been included in databases frequently seen in commercial or academic publishing

-is an increasingly important source of research that can offer an understanding of underrepresented, understudies, misrepresented, racialized, or stigmatised area of practice, such as Indigenous people

Anatomy of a research paper

Title/authors:

Authors & qualifications, institution. When accepted, source of support/grants. Conflict of interest

Abstract:

Brief summary of all components (question, methods, results, implications). Keywords (MeSH, CINAHL) usually included.

Introduction:

Topic, purpose, background research to support need/worthiness of study, research questions or hypotheses

Methods:

Study design, data/variables, sample/population, data analysis plans

Results:

Major results, detailed descriptions of analyses results

Discussion:

Possible explanations for results, strengths/limitations, implications for further research/practice/education

References:

Citations used in article

critical appraisal

Process of systematically examining research evidence to assess its validity, results and relevance before using it to inform a decision

research critique

a careful appraisal of the strengths. and weaknesses of the study

Confirmability

the extent to which the qualitative research report is accurate, unbiased, and can be confirmed by others

credibility

entails activities that ensure that trustworthy findings will be produces, which enables readers to have more confidence in them

data saturation

in qualitative research, the time when no new information is being obtained and repetition of information is consistently heard

participatory action research

an approach to research that involves both the participants and researchers in co-developing knowledge together

rigour

Trustworthiness of a qualitative research process and the data collected

Transferability

is the ability of the findings to have meaning and be applicable in other similar situations

triangulation process

another way of enhancing credibility of the conclusion in qualitative studies.

the use of multiple methods or data sources in qualitative research to develop a comprehensive understanding of phenomena

Trustworthiness

reflects the quality of a research report and ascertains that the necessary steps have been taken and thoroughly described to ensure that the necessary steps have been taken and thoroughly described to ensure that the study procedures meet high standards and that results can be trusted.

association

A potential causal connection between two variables.

adverage

The common name of the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of all observations in a data set divided by the number of observations.

bias

In the context of research, anything in the design or undertaking of a study that causes an untruth to occur in the study, potentially affecting the outcome of the study.

binding

The process of hiding from either the participant (single bind) or both the participant and the researchers (double blind) to which arm of a study (usually a randomised controlled trial) a participant is allocated. Also known as masking.

case series

A report on a series of patients with an outcome of interest with no comparison group

case control studies

A design that matches similar types of patients who receive a treatment(i.e., cases) with patients who do not receive the treatment (i.e., controls).

cause

In a study of the relationships of variables, the cause is the agency or event that connects and created the change in another process(the effect). It is measured as the independent variable.

central tendency

Measure of the centre of the scores in a given data set. These may also be called a centre or location of the distribution. The most common measures of central tendency are the arithmetic mean, the median, and the mode.

cohort study

A design referred to as an observational study that monitors a defined group (cohort) or subgroups (cohorts) over time.

It involves the identification of two groups (cohorts) of patients, one that did not receive the exposure of interest and one that did not, and following these cohorts forward for the outcome of interest.

confidence interval

The likely range of the true value of interest(e.g., the effect of an intervention or treatment). The CI is usually reported as "95% CI," which means that 95% of the time the true value (effect) for the population lies within the given range of values.

confidence level

This level tells you how sure you can be about a given result.

For example, a 0% confidence level means you have no faith at all that is you repeated the test that you would get the same results.

confounding

occurs when researchers do not account for alternative explanations for an outcome in a study.

Example: An increased risk of cancer of the pancreas is associated with both smoking and coffee drinking, and smokers tend to drink more coffee than non-smokers.

correlation

An apparent association between two variables.

A positive correlation occurs in situations when an increase or decrease in one variable. In a positive correlation, variables move in the direction. Opposite for negative.

cross-sectional study

A type of observational study that analyses data collected from a population, or a representative subset, at a specific point in time.

Are conducted in order to determine the relationship between disease and other variable of interest.

dependent variable

The outcome variable of the study that occurs as a result of the independent variable having occurres (also called the outcome).

descriptive statistics

Statistics used to describe the frequencies and patterns of numbers within a data set.

ecological study

A kind of epidemiological study in which the unit of analysis is a population or community, rather than an individual.

Ex: A ecological study may look as the association between smoking and lung cancer deaths in different countries.

effect

The trend or result measured in a research study that specifically explores causal relationships. It is understood as the dependent variable; that is, it depends on the cause to create the effect

Ex: In the research of the relationship of drinking alcohol to reading comprehension, reading comprehension would be considered the effect

experiment

A way of testing a hypothesis through comparison.

generalizability

Refers to the ability of the findings of a study to be extrapolated to the wider population

hypothesis

A statement that predicts relationships between variables. An idea that quantitative research sets out to prove

incidence

The number of new instances of an event in a given period of time

independent variable

The causal variable in a study, which may be manipulated during a study

inferential statistics

Statistics that are used to draw conclusions about the level of association between two or more variables within a study

mean

Also called the average, the sum of all observation in a data set divided by the number of observations

median

The middle value of an order set of observations

mode

The most frequently occurring number in a data set

null hypothesis

A term whereby a hypothesis is posed as the opposite of what the researchers actually expect to find. Null hypotheses are posed for statistical reasons.

observational studies

Studies that involve observation, which is quantitative researches usually quite structured and in qualitative research much less so. Observational studied do not involve an intervention on the part of the researcher.

odds ratio

A ratio of the odds (likelihood) of an outcome in one group compared with the odds of the outcome in another group.

operationalize

The process of clearly defining variables in order to establish factors for change or measurement. The process enables some structure and rules to define concepts that may be blurry, relative, or not easily measured

p-value

The probability that the result could have occured by chance if, in reality, the null hypothesis was true. If a result is statistically significant it will be indicated by a p-value. In the case of the value, a scale is assigned to the rating of probability that something will occur, ranging from zero to 1.

prevalence

The amount og disease ina defined population at a given point in time. If a disease lasts for life, its prevalence will continue to rise, even if the incident rate is low, whereas for short-lived illness such as a cold or measles, the incidence rate and prevalence will be broadly similar.

probability sampling

Sampling that gives everyone in a study population the same chance of being selected for a study as long as they meet the inclusion criteria.

quasi-experimental studies

Research concerned with comparing measurements, usually applied to the observation and measurement of changes that occur naturally, so it is difficult to control for threats to internal validity.

quasi-experiments

comparisons of groups that differ in exposure to a variable of interest that cannot be manipulated for ethical or practical reasons

randomized controlled trial

A specific form of experiment that is used in the clinical setting in order to compare the usefulness of two or more interventions.

range

The difference between the largest observation of a data set and the smallest observation.

recall bias

Bias that occurs when individuals in a study have to rely on their memory in order to answer certain questions.

Such biases are created when people who are ill, or have another reason to remember an exposure, are better at recalling events than people who are not ill.

relative risk

The IR of a disease in a population exposed to a particular factor ÷ the IR of those not exposed