Critical appraisal and analysis

what is the definition of evidence based medicine (EBM)

the integration of clinical expertise, the best available research evidence, and the patient’s values and expectations

what are the 3 components of the evidence based practice triad

best scientific evidence, clinical experience and patient preference

what does best scientific evidence include

results of experiments and quantitative studies

what does clinical experience include

expert panels, practice groups, consensus statements

what does patient preference include

satisfaction, quality of life, treatment burden, qualitative studies

what is the recommended approach instead of reading a scholarly article straight through

focus on each section and ask specific questions at each point 

what section should you read first in a scholarly article

the abstract

which sections should you read after the abstract

the introduction and the discussion/conclusion

what sections helps you understand how the study was conducted

the methods/methodology

what sections show what the researchers found

the results and analysis

what is critical appraisal 

the assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a paper 

what does critical appraisal evaluate in relation to your question

the paper’s relevance to the question

what does critical appraisal allow you to assess about a study

its quality and where it fits in the hierarchy of evidence

what does critical appraisal help you decide about a study

how much weight it should be given or whether it should be used at all

what is the ultimate purpose of critical appraisal

to determine how well the paper can answer your question

what is a common mistake when citing research 

citing research without addressing its quality 

what assumption do some people make about published studies

if its published in a reputable journal, it must be high quality

what do some incorrectly believe critical appraisal means

to criticize, find faults, or tear the paper to pieces

what is the reality about research quality

no research is perfect

what should you consider when evaluating imperfections in a study

how the flaws affect the results and whether the study answers your question

why is appraisal alone not enough

because listing strengths and weaknesses doesnt lead to a clear decision on quality

what is needed after identifying strengths and weaknesses

a clear decision on the overall quality of the paper

what tool can help make a quality judgment

a scoring system

what does the basic CRAAP appraisal test assess

currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, purpose

what are critical appraisal tools used for

to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a paper

how do critical appraisal tools help you critique a paper

they guide you through questions to ask

what types of critical appraisal tools exist

generic tools or tools specific to a research design

what is required when using a research design specific appraisal tool

you need to understand the research design

what are examples of advanced critical appraisal worksheets 

joanna briggs, CASP, and CEBM

who developed a generic critical appraisal tool with 6 key questions

Aveyard et al

what are the 6 questions in Aveyard’s tool

where did you find the information, what is it and what are the key messages or results/findings, how do you know it is of good quality, who has written this, when was this written, why has this been written 

how are systematic reviews or good-quality literature reviews conducted

they are undertaken systematically with a clear process for methods

what processes are involved in a systematic review

search strategy, critiquing, and summarizing the literature

two examples of high-quality systematic review collaborations

Cochrane and Campbell Collaboration

what are common sections in a systematic review

review question, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion

what tools can be used to appraise systematic reviews

CASP, Joanna Briggs, CEBM, and PRISMA

what types of quantitative studies can be critiqued

RCT, case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies

what does assessing validity involve

determining if the study measures what it is supposed to, including internal and external validity

what does assessing reliability involve

checking if the study would produce the same results if repeated

what does assessing validity involve

evaluating the accuracy and trustworthiness of the study's findings

what is important to check about the journal in a quantitative research critique

if it is peer-reviewed

what should a quantitative study have regarding its research question

a clear study question and rationale

what should be assessed about the methods

that they are correct for the type of research

what aspects of the sample should be evaluated

sample size and selection

what other components should be critiqued in quantitative research

data collection and data analysis

what does CONSORT stand for

Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials

what is the purpose of CONSORT

to provide an evidence based minimum set of recommendations for reporting randomized trials

how does CONSORT help with RCTs

its checklist and flow chart standardize reporting and assist with critical appraisal

what important aspects are included in CONSORT reporting

background, participant eligibility, random allocation, blinding, analysis, and discussion of results

what tools can be used for RCT appraisal

CASP, Joanna Briggs, CEBM, and CONSORT

what should you assess in cohort and case-control studies regarding groups

how the comparison was made, including selection and definition of groups

what question should you ask about the comparison

does the comparison make sense

what bias is important to check for in these studies

potential selection bias

how do cohort studies differ from RCTs

cohort participants are not randomly allocated; they occur naturally in the population

is there a consensus on what makes a good qualitative study

no

what should you consider about the authors in a qualitative study

who wrote the paper and their experience

what should you check about the journal

if it is peer-reviewed

what should you assess about the research question and method

if there is a defined research question and if the method is appropriate to answer it

what should you evaluate about the sample

who was in the study and how big the sample was

what is a meta-analysis

combining statistics from different quantitative studies into one set of results

what is required for studies included in a meta-analysis

they must have similar or comparable data

what is a meta-ethnography

the combining of qualitative results

what is an integrative review

a review that includes experimental, non-experimental research, and theory

how are themes developed in literature analysis

in conjunction with your appraisal of the studies

are all results equally strong

no

what should you focus on when summarizing results

results that contribute to answering your research question

what tools can help summarize data consistently

data summary or data extraction charts and standardized data extraction forms

how do standardized data extraction forms help in systematic reviews

they reduce bias and improve validity and reliability

what is the purpose of data extraction in a literature review

to summarize key identification features of each study

what unique identifier is recorded for each study

record number

what author information is included in data extraction

the authors of the study

what publication details are recorded

article title, citation, and type of publication (journal article, conference abstract)

what additional contextual information is recorded

country of origin and source of funding

what study characteristics are recorded in a data extraction summary

aim/objectives, study design, inclusion/exclusion criteria, recruitment procedures (randomization, blinding), and unit of allocation

what participant characteristics are included

baseline characteristics, age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, disease characteristics, comorbidities, and number of participants per category in intervention and control groups

what intervention and setting details are recorded

setting of intervention delivery, description of intervention and control (dose, route, cycles, duration, care provider, development, theoretical basis), and co-interventions

what outcome data/results are extracted

unit of assessment/analysis; for each outcome, the definition, measurement tool/method, unit of measurement, length and number of follow-ups

what participant data is included for intervention and control groups

number enrolled, number included in analysis, and number of withdrawals, exclusions, or lost to follow-up

what is the first step in thematic analysis

re-read the results and/or discussion sections of the identified articles

what does thematic analysis involve after re-reading articles

bringing together different studies and comparing ideas/themes

how should themes relate to your research question

they should directly reflect or answer the research question, giving the review originality

what should you examine when comparing articles

similarities, differences, and explanations for differing results

what do the themes represent in your research

the results/findings of your research

what are the key sections required in a research poster summary

rationale/background, research question, search strategy and selection, method of appraisal and analysis, results/themes, and recommendations for practice