Rapid Critical Appraisal Checklists Essay
Week 3 assignment Evidence-Based Practice Proposal – Section C: Literature Support To begin, work through the reference list that was created in the “Section B: Problem Description” assignment in Topic 2. Appraise each resource using the “Rapid Critical Appraisal Checklists,” available in the textbook appendix. The specific checklist you use will be determined by the type of evidence within the resource.Rapid Critical Appraisal Checklists Essay Develop a research table to organize and summarize the research studies. Using a summary table allows you to be more concise in your narrative description. Only research studies used to support your intervention are summarized in this table. Refer to the “Evaluation Table Template,” available in the textbook appendix. Use the “Evaluation Table Template” as an adaptable template. Write a narrative of 750-1,000 words (not including the title page and references) that presents the research support for the projects problem and proposed solution. Make sure to do the following: Include a description of the search method (e.g., databases, keywords, criteria for inclusion and exclusion, and number of studies that fit your criteria). Summarize all of the research studies used as evidence. The essential components of each study need to be described so that readers can evaluate its scientific merit, including study strengths and limitations.Rapid Critical Appraisal Checklists Essay Incorporate a description of the validity of the internal and external research.
It is essential to make sure that the research support for the proposed solution is sufficient, compelling, relevant, and from peer-reviewed professional journal articles Although you will not be submitting the checklist information or the evaluation table you design in Topic 3 with the narrative, the checklist information and evaluation table should be placed in the appendices for the final paper. Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Upon receiving feedback from the instructor, refine “Section C: Literature Support” for your final submission. This will be a continuous process throughout the course for each section.
Why is critical appraisal needed?
Literature searches using databases like Medline or EMBASE often result in an overwhelming volume of results which can vary in quality. Similarly, those who browse medical literature for the purposes of CPD or in response to a clinical query will know that there are vast amounts of content available. Critical appraisal helps to reduce the burden and allow you to focus on articles that are relevant to the research question, and that can reliably support or refute its claims with high-quality evidence, or identify high-level research relevant to your practice.Rapid Critical Appraisal Checklists Essay
While most of us know not to believe everything we may read in a newspaper (or on Twitter), it’s also true that we cannot rely 100% on papers written in even the most prestigious academic journals. Different types of studies reported in the literature also have different strengths and weaknesses. Even if the contents of a research paper are reliable, it is sometimes difficult to find the specific information you are looking for and interpret it accurately.
Critical appraisal allows us to:
- reduce information overload by eliminating irrelevant or weak studies
- identify the most relevant papers
- distinguish evidence from opinion, assumptions, misreporting, and belief
- assess the validity of the study
- assess the usefulness and clinical applicability of the study
- recognize any potential for bias.
Critical appraisal helps to separate what is significant from what is not. One way we use critical appraisal in the Library is to prioritize the most clinically relevant content for our Current Awareness Updates.
Each year, hundreds of medical journals publish thousands of reports of research studies (1). As the medical profession evolves and studies on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases are published, it is crucial to be able to recognize and differentiate the best available evidence (2). When reading any research, it is important to remember that there are “three broad areas to be considered: validity, results and relevance” (3). Health care professionals are increasingly required to base clinical decisions on the best available evidence (4). The term “best evidence” emphasizes the fact that it is the quality and not the quantity of evidence that is of crucial significance (5).
The concept of evidence based medicine (EBM), defined as the ‘‘integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values” (4). It brings together relevant and robust data by systematically obtaining, analyzing, and transforming research findings into clinical, management, and policy grounds (6). The five steps of EBM are formulating a clinical question using PICO tools, searching for evidence, critical appraisal of the literature, applicability of evidence and finally evaluating the new or amended practice (4, 7). In other words, eevidence based medicine includes appraising studies critically, synthesizing research findings and applying rigorous scientific evidence in practice (8).Rapid Critical Appraisal Checklists Essay
The critical appraisal of research studies involves a watchful, systematic, unbiased, careful examination of all aspects of a study to judge its meaning, merits, significance and limitations as well as its trustworthiness, value and relevance in a particular context (2, 6), in order to direct professionals in their critical clinical decision making (9). Critical appraisal is a crucial step in the process of putting research into practice. Asking questions about the methodology of a study, scrutinizing its procedures of data collection and analysis, and assessing the way of its findings’ presentation will help researchers to determine whether the conclusions should influence practical decision-making (5).
The advantages of critical appraisal is to battle information overload, identifying research studies that are clinically important and continuing professional development (CPD) (7). A few of the instances in which using critical appraisal is important include conducting literature reviews for research proposals; evaluating the costs and benefits as well as effectiveness of health programs; designing new health programs; implementing health policies; and public health decision making, especially at the senior management level (5).
To conduct a critical appraisal it is required to havea previous research experience, knowledge of the topic, asking good searching questions, careful examination of the research process, a background in analysis and the skills in logical reasoning to examine the credibility of the study (8). Conducting critical appraisal can occur through a non-structured approach where the study is critically appraised when it is being studied, or through a structured approach by using a series of critical appraisal tools (CATs). CATs are structured checklists that allow individuals to check the methodological excellence of a study against agreed criteria. An advantage of using CATs is that a level of consistency could be applied through reviewing a number of studies. However, a potential disadvantage is that they may not ask about the potential sources of bias which is significant for the specific research questions (10).Rapid Critical Appraisal Checklists Essay
To critically appraise a journal article, it is required to start by assessing the research methods used in the study. This could be carried out using critical appraisal checklists which are specific to the study designs. The checklists which are commonly used to appraise various quantitative and qualitative designs could be retrieved through on-line resources including CASP (The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme), CEBM (Centre for Evidence Based Medicine), SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network), EQUATOR (Enhancing the Quality and Transparency Of health Research), SURE (Specialist Unit for Review Evidence), best BETs (Best Evidence Topics), JBI (Joanna Briggs Institute), NIH (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute), Gate CAT (Graphic Appraisal tools for Epidemiological studies), NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), EBM Toolkit (Alberta University Evidence Based Medicine Toolkit), SCHARR (The School of Health and Related Research) at the University of Sheffield, CLIST (Clinical Librarians Information Skills Trainers) Resources for Critical Appraisal, McMaster Critical Review Form, and HCPRDU (Health Care Practice Research & Development Unit) (7, 11).Rapid Critical Appraisal Checklists Essay
Some other checklist are used just for one purpose for instance CONSORT, JADAD, EPOC and PEDro for randomized clinical trials; PRIZMA, AMSTAR, Cochrane and ROBIS to assess systematic reviews, STROBE and Newcastle-Ottawa for cross-sectional, cases-control and cohort studies; STARD and QUADAS for Diagnostic research; MOOS for meta-analysis, COREC for qualitative studies, MMAT for mixed methods, AGREE and RIGHT for guidelines, CARE for case reports and SPIRIT for study protocols (7, 10, 11).
To sum up, critical appraisal is an essential skill to assess the merit of clinical research and to identify potential threats to the validity of the research findings through following a systematic approach. Such evidence could be applied to clinical practice, which itself could enhance the quality of care and provide optimum clinical care for the patients. Rapid Critical Appraisal Checklists Essay