Week 3 - Ethics & Finding and Appraising the Literature

what is literature review?

in depth summary and critical appraisal of scholarly literature on a topic; finds positive and negative findings

what is literature search vs literature review?

literature search is searching for scholarly sources --> literature review is reviewing the literature that was found to determine strengths, limitations, gaps

3 purposes and uses for nurses in evidence informed projects

uncover, promote, generate

evidence informed projects: uncover

uncover supporting or contrary evidence for revising, maintaining, or stopping current policies

evidence informed projects: promote

promote development of new practice protocols, policies, and projects related to nursing practice

evidence informed projects: generate

generate clinical questions that guide development of evidence-informed projects

what are the purposes of quantitative research?

-develop conceptual/theoretical framework (primary/secondary sources)
-problem statement and hypothesis refinement
-methodology
-outcome and analysis

primary sources

data-based, theory, research → eg. published research study

primary sources does NOT include.....

analysis of events, someone's experience told firsthand, interpretation of origins research, original research piece

secondary sources

summary, critique, analysis of a theory/topic/practice → eg. article about analysis of clinical practice

what are the types of resources?

print and internet

print resource

books, refereed journals (usually peer reviewed)

internet resource

online bibliographic databases, search engines

what are the types of scholarly literature?

data based and conceptual

data based scholarly literature

research literature, research studies found in journals (aka empirical, scientific)

conceptual scholarly literature

reports of theories or reviews, how-to articles

what are systematic reviews?

purpose is to summarize a body of literature or data
-uses rigorous methods to identify, critically appraise, and synthesize primary studies
-provide best available objective evidence

what is meta-analysis?

statistical integration of results of quantitative studies

what are the steps for conducting a literature search?

step 1: determine topic and generate keywords
step 2: choose databases to search
step 3: conduct search
step 4: refine search results
step 5: select relevant source
step 6: critically read, summarize, synthesize
step 7: present findings

how do you search for evidence?

start broad, then narrow focus to something more specific on a topic you are interested in

how to develop a clinical question?

using PICOT

how do you devise a search strategy?

1. define topic
2. state topic as a searchable question
3. identify keywords
4. identify related words
5. connect keywords using operators and phase searching

what are operators? how do you use them?

using words like AND, NOT, OR to link keywords

operators: AND

use AND between keywords to find all terms to narrow search
-eg. nurse AND fatigue

operators: OR

use OR between related words to find either term to broaden term
-you will retrieve mORe results
-eg. nurse OR registered nurse

operators: NOT

use NOT to exclude or omit unwanted terms to narrow search
-***use with caution
-eg. nurses NOT breastfeeding

what is phase searching? how do you do it?

find exact phrase (term containing 2+ words) in each search unit
-place quotation marks around the words in phrase to narrow search
-"shift work" OR "night shift"

what databases should be selected?

searching online bibliographic databases such as CINAHL, MEDLINE, cochrane library

what is critical appraisal and synthesis of evidence?

critically read each source using critical appraisal criteria to combine the results of critiqued studies
-combine similarities and differences to draw conclusions

characterisitcs of a well written literature review?

-systematic approach (follows steps)
-established criteria to evaluate strengths and weaknesses
-mostly primary sources
-provides synthesis of literature
-research questions and hypothesis are identified

what is critical thinking?

rational examination of ideas, arguments -- displays intellectual skills

what is critical reading?

reader participates in an inner dialogue with the writer -- looks for assumptions (accepted truth), key concepts

list the steps of the critical reading process

1. preliminary
2. comprehensive
3. analytical
4. synthesis

critical reading process: preliminary

familiarize with content
-skim article, identify concepts, clarify unfamiliar terms

critical reading process: comprehensive

understanding the researcher's purpose or intent
-identify main theme / steps of research design, clarify unfamiliar terms again

critical reading process: analytical

understand the parts of the study and begin developing a critique
-assess study's value for your needs, critically evaluate validity and applicability to practice

critical reading process: synthesis

understand whole article and how it fits with the larger body of knowledge
-understand article and each step in research process, use own words to describe, identify strengths and weakness of article

steps to evidence informed practice

-critical reading and thinking
-read widely
-understand scientific principles

what are research articles?

not a how-to → answers question with all components of research presented

what is the format and style of journals?

need to identify purpose, space limitations, author guidelines, type of study
-author: info and brief bio
-abstract: synopsis/summary of study placed at beginning of article

what are the components of a research report?

-question / hypothesis
theoretical/conceptual framework
-methods → design, sample, procedures, instruments, ethics
-results → data analysis, conclusions and implications, references

how do you communicate results of a report?

-dissemination (sharing) of results
-publish article in a journal
-present study findings to evidence-informed practice activities (eg. NCPs)

what are the tri-council policy core ethical principles?

1. respect for persons (for their autonomy) → informed consent, respect for privacy
2. concern for welfare → sound research design, competent investigators, favourable risk-benefit ratio
3. justice → equitable selection of participants

what does "respect for persons" mean?

treat individuals as autonomous agents
-allow people to choose for themselves / right to self-determination

respect for the person means the researcher should...

-ensure participation is completely voluntary
-obtains informed consent

what is informed consent?

process of communication and mutual understanding and is a shared responsibility for protection
-NOT: a piece of paper, a moment in time, a legal contract

what is implied consent?

return of a completed questionnaire implies the person's consent to participate

what is process consent?

ongoing renegotiation as risks and benefits emerge during the study as they become known

what are the elements of an informed consent form?

-purpose of study and duration
-description of procedure
-**obtained before the study starts

participants should have adequate info, understand it, and have power of choice to participate or not

what does "concern for welfare" mean?

the QOL of a person and their experience / concern for how they are doing - physically, mentally, socially, spiritually
-research advises participants of risks and benefits

concern for welfare: privacy is a right

data must be confidential and/or anonymous

concern for welfare: ethical concern with privacy

right of people to limit access of others to their person or their personal info

concern for welfare: group or community privacy

disclosure of info about me and my genetic info may also reveal info about others (eg. family)

what is justice?

treat people fairly and equitable

what is artificial intelligence?

technology that enables a computer system / robot to learn, reason, perceive, infer, communicate, and make decisions similar to or better than humans

what is human genetic research?

study of genetic factors responsible for human traits and interaction of those factors with each other and with environment

what is digital health?

use of ICTs to improve human health, healthcare services, and wellness

what is the research ethics board (REBS)

reviews research projects --> ensure ethical standards are met in relation to protection of rights of human participants