Research quiz practice

Researchers used multiple measures for data collection and compared the results of two groups. Which statistical test would be appropriate for this study?

ANCOVA

People who are evaluated as part of a study are usually aware of the purpose of the study, and as a result, give more favorable responses or perform better than people who are unaware of the study's intent.

Attention Bias

The determination of whether the intervention and comparison groups had key observed characteristics that were similar enough before the start of the intervention.

Baseline Equality

Usually used to evaluate a group of subjects involved in a treatment but can also be used to study single cases/individuals. The evaluator collects information about the initial status of a group of subjects in terms of the outcomes of interest and then collects information again about the outcomes after treatment is received. This is a useful design when you do not wish to withhold treatment from any clients (no control group).

Before-After Design

Explores what makes a group of individuals different. Other terms used are case-comparison study or retrospective study. The essential feature is looking backwards. A set of subjects with a defining characteristic or situation, for example a specific diagnosis or involvement in treatment, are identified. The characteristic or situation of interest is compared with a control group of people who are similar in age, gender and background but who do not have the characteristic or are not involved in the situation of interest. The purpose is to determine the differences between these groups.

Case Control Design

Carried out in order to provide descriptive information (data) about the relationship between a particular treatment (exposure) and an outcome of interest. It is also called a descriptive study, as that is the primary purpose. There is no control group. It is often used to explore a new topic or treatment, when there is little knowledge.

Case Study Design

Includes full title, all authors (last name, initials), full journal title, year, volume, and page numbers. This ensures that another person could easily retrieve the same article.

Citation

A group of people (subjects) who have been exposed to a similar situation, for example, a program or a diagnosis/disease, and followed/observed over time to see what happens. Often have a comparison (control) group of subjects who have not been exposed to the situation of interest (they have not received any treatment). Sometimes referred to as a prospective study meaning the direction of time is always forward.

Cohort Design

This occurs when members of the control group inadvertently receive treatment, thus the difference in outcomes between the two groups may be reduced. This favors the control group.

Contamination

Involves one group of people, and all the evaluation of the whole group is carried out at the same time. Used to explore what factors may have influenced a particular outcome in a group of people. Surveys, questionnaires, and interviews are common methods used. It is useful when relatively little is known about an issue/outcome.

Cross-sectional Design

Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials are what level of evidence?

Level I

This level of evidence includes 2 groups with no randomization (cohort, case-control).

Level II

This level of evidence includes 1 group, nonrandomized (before and after, pretest and post-test?

Level III

This level of evidence includes descriptive studies that analyze outcomes (single-subject design, case series)

Level IV

Considered the lowest level of evidence, This level of evidence includes case reports and expert opinion on a subject.

Level V

Describes research to provide some background to the study and should provide a synthesis of relevant information such as previous work/research.

Literature Review

Considered the strongest level of evidence, this statistical review combines the outcomes of previous studies and uses quantitative methods to summarize the results.

Meta-analysis

In a recent clinical study investigating the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine, 30 participants were recruited and randomized into two 15 person groups. Subjects unknowingly received either the 2 step Covid-19 vaccine or a 2-step vaccine placebo, then were exposed to the virus and received 24-hour medical care over 30 days via medical staff. Thirteen participants who received the vaccine tested positive, however displayed no symptoms while the remaining two reported "mild symptoms" with no need for hospitalization. 10 participants in the placebo group required hospitalization, and the remaining 5 reported "significant symptoms". Data was analyzed with a P Score of .03. Which of the following would be an appropriate inclusion criteria for this study?

Participants who are in good health

In a recent clinical study investigating the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine, 30 participants were recruited and randomized into two 15 person groups. Subjects unknowingly received either the 2 step Covid-19 vaccine or a 2-step vaccine placebo, then were exposed to the virus and received 24-hour medical care over 30 days via medical staff. Thirteen participants who received the vaccine tested positive, however displayed no symptoms while the remaining two reported "mild symptoms" with no need for hospitalization. 10 participants in the placebo group required hospitalization, and the remaining 5 reported "significant symptoms". Data was analyzed with a P Score of .03. Which of the following would be an appropriate exclusion criteria for this study?

Participants who have known pre existing conditions such as asthma, diabetes, obesity.

This type of study identifies a set of subjects and randomly assigns them to two or more treatment groups. One group of subjects receives the treatment of interest and the other group is the control group, which usually receives no treatment or standard practice.

Randomized Controlled Trial

In a recent clinical study investigating the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine, 30 participants were recruited and randomized into two 15 person groups. Subjects unknowingly received either the 2 step Covid-19 vaccine or a 2-step vaccine placebo, then were exposed to the virus and received 24-hour medical care over 30 days via medical staff. Thirteen participants who received the vaccine tested positive, however displayed no symptoms while the remaining two reported "mild symptoms" with no need for hospitalization. 10 participants in the placebo group required hospitalization, and the remaining 5 reported "significant symptoms". Data was analyzed with a P Score of .03. What type of study design is this?

Randomized-controlled trial

This can be a problem if outcomes are measured using self-report tools, surveys or interviews that are requiring the person to recall past events. Often a person recalls fond or positive memories more than negative ones, and this can favor the results of the study for those being questioned about an issue or receiving treatment.

Recall or memory bias

If all subjects are recruited and thus are evaluated and receive treatment at one time, the results may be influenced by the timing of the subject selection and intervention. For example, seniors tend to be healthier in the summer than in the winter, so the results may be more positive if the study takes place only in the summer.

Seasonal Bias

Involves one subject, or a number of subjects followed over time or evaluated on outcomes of interest. Evaluation of subjects for the outcome(s) of interest both before (baseline) and after the intervention. This design allows an individual to serve as their own control. It is useful when only a few clients have a particular diagnosis or are involved in a treatment that you want to evaluate.

Single Case Design

In a recent clinical study investigating the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine, 30 participants were recruited and randomized into two 15 person groups. Subjects unknowingly received either the 2 step Covid-19 vaccine or a 2-step vaccine placebo, then were exposed to the virus and received 24-hour medical care over 30 days via medical staff. Thirteen participants who received the vaccine tested positive, however displayed no symptoms while the remaining two reported "mild symptoms" with no need for hospitalization. 10 participants in the placebo group required hospitalization, and the remaining 5 reported "significant symptoms". Data was analyzed with a P Score of .03. What is considered the control group?

The group who received the placebo

In a recent clinical study investigating the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine, 30 participants were recruited and randomized into two 15 person groups. Subjects unknowingly received either the 2 step Covid-19 vaccine or a 2-step vaccine placebo, then were exposed to the virus and received 24-hour medical care over 30 days via medical staff. Thirteen participants who received the vaccine tested positive, however displayed no symptoms while the remaining two reported "mild symptoms" with no need for hospitalization. 10 participants in the placebo group required hospitalization, and the remaining 5 reported "significant symptoms". Data was analyzed with a P Score of .03. What was the experimental group?

The group who received the vaccine

A comprehensive summary of the information contained throughout the project's report, with the purpose of providing a snapshot of the entire project. Uses clear and concise language and effectively summarizes content without the use of technical jargon.

abstract

Determine which section of the article the following information can be located: "The purpose of this feasibility study was to evaluate the intervention for attendance rates and retention in the program provided in 5 sessions over 5 wk."

abstract

If clients receive another form of treatment at the same time as the study treatment, this can influence the results in either direction. For example, taking medication while receiving or not treatment could favor the results for people in either group.

co-intervention

"Six (43%) veterans reported receiving multiple treatments for PTSD, depression, or both..." is an example of which type of bias:

co-intervention bias

Authors evaluate and summarize evidence from multiple research studies on a single issue or practice concern.

critically appraised topic

Determine which section of the article the following information can be located: "Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for the pretest-posttest comparison of individual clusters."

data analysis

Information regarding the location outcome measures were completed as well as the duration of time they took to complete can be found in which of the following sections of the article:

data collection

Results could be influenced in one direction depending on multiple therapist involvement. For example, one therapist could be more motivating or positive than another, and hence the group that they worked with could demonstrate more favorable outcomes. Therapist involvement should be equal and consistent between all treatment groups.

different therapist

The number of subjects/participants who did not complete the study.

drop outs

An exclusion criteria is simply the opposite of an inclusion criteria.

false

"...veterans of OEF, OIF, or both conflicts who were seeking care for mental health concerns at the PDC and who had enrolled to attend the program but had not yet participated in any sessions. Participants were also required to have a physician-reported diagnosis of PTSD, major depressive disorder, or both; and to be proficient in spoken English" is an example of:

inclusion criteria

Details regarding Ocean Therapy can be found in what section of the article?

intervention

In this study, Ocean Therapy is the:

intervention

This should be described in detail, including who provided the treatment, where it was provided and under what conditions, and specifically how it was provided.

intervention

A pretest-posttest cohort design is considered which level of evidence?

level 3

Acknowledgments of shortcomings that allow readers to view the results in light of these concerns. May be related to an unreliable data collection instrument, small sample size or participant group, an unforeseen interference to the project, faulty assumptions by the researcher or evidence-based practitioner, or any one of the forms of bias.

limitations

Lack of a comparison group, small sample size, and self report measures are examples of:

limitations

The PTSD Checklist-Military Version and Major Depression Inventory are examples of:

outcome measures

Variables or issues of interest to the researcher. They represent the product or results of the treatment or exposure.

outcomes

In this study researchers collected and compared data including respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and O2 saturation. Figures such as vitals, are considered what type of statistical data?

parametric

Determine which section of the article the following information can be located: "Recruitment fliers requesting participation in the study were distributed by clinic staff of the Veterans Transition Center Post Deployment Clinic (PDC) at the GLAVA to 150 veterans."

participants

The inclusion and exclusion criteria can be found in which of the following sections of the article:

participants

"The PCL-M has been shown to have adequate internal consistency (rs = .75-.80), test-retest reliability (r = .80), and convergent validity (k = .64) in Vietnam veterans and provides a relatively conservative indication of change in PTSD symptoms..." is an example of?

psychometric properties

This study design involves randomly allocates two groups of participants; in which one was provided intervention and the other is not in an attempt to gain data on the effectiveness of clinical intervention.

randomized-controlled trial

"The measures of PTSD and depression relied on self-report..." is an example of which type of bias:

recall or memory bias

Determine which section of the article the following information can be located "This feasibility study was a pretest-posttest cohort design with five sessions offered on consecutive Saturdays in April and May 2011."

research design

A summarization of the main findings with the use of figures and tables as necessary.

results

Determine which section of the article the following information can be located: "Participation records indicated that 10 participants completed three or more sessions. Four participants (29%) completed all five sessions, 2 (14%) completed four sessions, and 4 (29%) completed three sessions."

results

Information regarding participant demographics can be found in which of the following sections of this article:

results

Information regarding the number of dropouts can be found in which of the following sections of the article:

results

The number of subjects involved in the study. (n=?)

sample

n = 14 is an example of?

sample size

Where treatment takes place can influence the results, for example, if a treatment program is carried out in a person's home, this may result in a higher level of satisfaction that favors the treatment group.

site of treatment

Wilcoxon signed rank is an example of a(n):

statistical test

A critical review of individual studies aiming to gather the strongest evidence in a clinical topic

systemic review

If treatment is provided over an extended period of time to children, maturation alone could be a factor in improvements seen. If treatment is very short in duration, there may not have been sufficient time for a noticeable effect in the outcomes of interest.

timing of intervention

A Critically Appraised Article includes a short analysis of an individual study.

true

An inclusion criteria serves the purpose of screening study participants who demonstrate baseline characteristics in order to qualify for participation in the study, and who may demonstrate strong study results.

true

Given a P Score of .03, these study results indicated as statistically significant

true