What is research
Randomized controlled trial
1. Prospective 2. Tests treatment 3. Primary studies
Terms that the abstract usually includes
1. Purpose / objective / aim 2. Methods 3. Results 4. Conclusion
Comprehensive critical reading
Understanding the researcher's purpose or intent
Analysis critical reading
Understanding the terms & part of the study
Synthesis critical reading
Understanding the whole article & research process - assessing the study's validity
Conclusion section
Usually a brief section with concluding findings
Levels of evidence from top to bottom
1. Clinical practice guidelines 2. Meta-analysis & Systematic Reviews 3. Randomized controlled trial 4. Cohort studies 5. Case control studies 6. Case report or case series 7. Animal & laboratory studies
Where is the purpose of the study defined
1. End of the intro 2. End of the "literature review"
Quantitative research studies have ____ or ___ ____
1. Hypothese 2. Research question
How you know the study is quantitative
1. Hypothesis is stated or implied 2. Terms "control" or "treatment" used 3. Terms "survey" or "correlational" used 4. Term "random" or "convenience" used 5. Variable are measured by insturments or scales 6. Statistical analyses are used
Qualitative research
1. Look for meaning: perceptions, values, & feelings 2. Uses words rather than numbers to understand experiences; tells us "why"
Where to find what instruments were used to measure the varibale
1. Methods section 2. Appendix
Case report or case series
1. Narrative reviews 2. Expert opinions 3. Editorials 4. No design
Where are the data collection procedures usually found
1. Procedures section 2. Methods section
Cohort studies
1. Prospective 2. Cohort has been exposed to a risk 3. Observe for outcome of interest 4. Observational studies 5. Primary studies
One of the first objectives when doing reserach
Determine if the study is quantitative or qualitative
Abstract
1. A short, comprehensive summary of a study at the beginning of an article 2. Focuses the reader on the main points of a study 3. Abstracts vary is length from 50-250 words 4. The length & format are dictated by the journal's style 5. Both quantitative & qualitative studies have abstracts as well as mixed-method designs
Type of research design can be found where
1. Abstract 2. Within purpose statement 3. In the introduction to the "procedures" 4. In the "methods" section 5. May not be stated
What is the literature review
1. Also termed "background" 2. Is a synthesis of studies on the topic 3. The individual studies are detailed & the review discusses what is known & not known from these studies
Qualitative research studies do not have ____ but instead have ____ ___ & _____
1. Research questions 2. Purposes
Discussion section
1. Researchers go back to the literature review & discuss how their study is similar to or different from other studies 2. The researchers discusses the limitations of the study 3. Call for future reasearch
Case control studies
1. Retrospective 2. Subjects have the outcome of interest; looking for risk factor 3. Observational studies 4. Primary studies
Quantitative research
1. Seen more in healthcare 2. Numerical data 3. Test hypotheses 4. Cause / effect & relationship between variable 5. Correlation 6. Data are summarized & analyzed using statistics
What is included in the data anaylsis
1. Statistical tests 2. Descriptive / inferential statistics applied in quantitative studies
What is research
1. Systematic, rigorous, & critical investigation that aims to answer questions 2. Provides knowledge that is reliable & useful for practice 3. Research studies published in journal are evaluated for clinical practice 4. Findings provide evidence that is evaluated 5. Applicability is used to inform clinical practice
What the research should tell you about the population
1. The population form which the sample was drawn 2. Type of sample 3. Number in the sample 4. Number of participants that dropped out
What does the critique involve
1. The process of critical appraisal that evaluates the article for scientific merit & application for practice 2. Points out the strengths & weaknesses
Introduction
A background picture of the area researched & its significance to practice
What is the journal article
A shortened version of the researchers completed work
Preliminary critical reading
Familiarize yourself with the content - skim
Where is the hypothesis or research question usually found
In the background
Although qualitative studies do not used statistical tests, the procedures for analyzing themes are usually described in what section
Methods
Where to find the population form
Methods / Methodology section
Where is it reported that the hypothesis was supported or unsupported
Results / Findings
Where is the data analysis procedure found
Results section
Clinical practice guidelines / Meta-analysis & Systematic Reviews
Secondary, pre-apprasied or filtered studies
Define evidence-based practice
The systematic use of the best available evidence with the integration of individual clinical expertise as well as the patient's values & preferences in making clinical decisisions
