How to Read a Paper by
Required reading in many medical and healthcare institutions, How to Read a Paper is a clear and wide-ranging introduction to evidence-based medicine and healthcare, helping readers to understand its central principles, critically evaluate published data, and implement the results in practical settings. Author Trisha Greenhalgh guides readers through each fundamental step of inquiry, from searching the literature to assessing methodological quality and appraising statistics. How to Read a Paper addresses the common criticisms of evidence-based healthcare, dispelling many of its myths and misconceptions, while providing a pragmatic framework for testing the validity of healthcare literature. Now in its sixth edition, this informative text includes new and expanded discussions of study bias, political interference in published reports, medical statistics, big data and more. Offers user-friendly guidance on evidence-based healthcare that is applicable to both experienced and novice readers Authored by an internationally recognised practitioner and researcher in evidence-based healthcare and primary care Includes updated references, additional figures, improved checklists and more How to Read a Paper is an ideal resource for healthcare students, practitioners and anyone seeking an accessible introduction to evidence-based healthcare.
Making Sense of Research in Nursing, Health and Social Care by
What is research and how does it work in the context of nursing, health and social care? This introductory guide provides you with a concise overview of the different research methods and terminology that you will come across when undertaking research in any course related to nursing, health and social care. The book′s easy-to-follow structure takes you from research novice to confident researcher, helping you to make sense of research and understand how it is implemented in healthcare practice. The new edition includes: Updates in light of the 2018 NMC standards, with more information on the impact of GDPR, consent and vulnerable groups, Personal and Public Involvement (PPI), and work-based projects. Improved case examples of real research, with more on group work, poster presentations, research output and dissemination, literature reviews, and dissertations. Upgraded activities that include reflective exercises, critical appraisal tools, a dissemination plan, and a glossary, all in the book. This is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students within the health and therapy professions, nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, radiographers, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and paramedics.
Nursing Research by
Now in full color, this easy-to-understand textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to nursing research concepts and methods. Evidence-based practice is emphasized throughout, with clear guidelines for evaluating research and applying scientific evidence to practice. Coverage includes qualitative and quantitative research, appraising and critiquing research, critical thinking, and clinical decision-making using research information. Balanced coverage acquaints you with the processes behind research and evidence-based practice. Distinct coverage of qualitative and quantitative research approaches are presented in separate parts of the book to avoid the confusion that often results when the two are interwoven. Complete, high-quality research examples, including three sample critiques, demonstrate how to apply the principles outlined in the text to published quantitative and qualitative research studies. Research Vignettes help bridge the gaps among clinical research, academia, and clinical practice. All-star cast of contributors represents a widely respected team of experts in nursing research and evidence-based practice. Each chapter contains a variety of popular learning aids, including Key Terms, Learning Outcomes, Helpful Hints, Evidence-Based Practice Tips, Appraising the Evidence, Critiquing Criteria, Critique of a Research Study, Critical Thinking Decision Paths, Critical Thinking Challenges, and Key Points. NEW! Streamlined steps of the research process focus on how to appraise and apply research findings for evidence-based practice. NEW! Theory chapter features an up-to-date exploration of the most important theories behind nursing research. NEW! Systematic Reviews and Clinical Practice Guidelines chapter addresses this important area of nursing research. NEW! Quality Improvement chapter discusses the trending topic of quality improvement as it relates to nursing research. NEW! Updated research articles, including a Cochrane Collection study, reflect the most current, high-quality studies, particularly those that are accessible and relevant to readers with minimal clinical experience. NEW! All-new Research Vignettes illustrate the dynamic nature of nursing research.
The Pocket Guide to Critical Appraisal by
This second edition of the popular guide to critical appraisal is a fully updated revision of the previous edition. Written in the same easily accessible style, The Pocket Guide to Critical Appraisal now provides annotated checklists of the most common research designs. Consistent with recent developments in evidence-based medicine, these checklists distinguish between the risk of bias in the conduct of published studies and the value of the findings for healthcare delivery. Five new chapters have been added and the original chapters have been rewritten, making the new edition a complete and concise guide for the evaluation of research quality. In addition to the checklists, the book also: describes how to quickly identify the information needed for the critical appraisal provides simple explanations of statistical significance and the interpretation of confidence intervals reviews the major sources of bias and their impact on research findings explains how to summarise the risk of bias outlines the concept of certainty of evidence and how to calculate it identifies the challenges in assessing the value of research findings The Pocket Guide to Critical Appraisal is an essential guide for all health professions and students who read research papers and use their findings.
The next step in the systematic review process is to undertake a quality assessment of the results retrieved. Critically appraising a piece of research combines analysis of the design of the study, the validity of the findings in relation to the design of the study, the likelihood of bias, and the relevance of the overall results to other current research. These are the key steps as outlined in Greenhalgh, J. and Brown, T. Quality assessment: where do I begin? In: A. Boland, M.G. Cherry and R. Dickson (eds.) Doing a systematic review: a student's guide, 2nd edn. London: SAGE, 107-130.
Step 1: Note the design(s) of the studies to be included in your review
Step 2: Identify the type(s) of quality assessment tool(s) to suit your review
Step 3: Source appropriate quality assessment tool(s)
Step 4: Carry out quality assessment using the appropriate tool(s)
Step 5: Tabulate and summarize the results of your quality assessment
Step 6: Think about how the quality assessment results might impact on the recommendations and conclusions of your systematic review
Doing a Systematic Review by
Written in a friendly, accessible style by an expert team of authors with years of experience in both conducting and supervising systematic reviews, this is the perfect guide to using systematic review methodology in a research project. It provides clear answers to all review-related questions, including: How do I formulate an appropriate review question? What's the best way to manage my review? How do I develop my search strategy? How do I get started with data extraction? How do I assess the quality of a study? How can I analyse and synthesize my data? How should I write up the discussion and conclusion sections of my dissertation or thesis?
CASP
The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme has produced a set of eight checklists which can be used when appraising studies for inclusion/exclusion in the systematic review. The checklists provide a series of study-specific questions to use when reading research to enable the critical appraisal of each item.
Available from https://casp-uk.net/
BestBETS
BestBETs provide a range of Critial Appraisal (CA) Worksheets for a range of study types, including:
Available from https://bestbets.org/
SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network)
SIGN, part of the Evidence Directorate of Healthcare Improvement Scotland, has produced a number of checklists to help critically evaluate systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials, etc.
These are available at: https://www.sign.ac.uk/what-we-do/methodology/checklists/
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM)
The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM), based at the University of Oxford, has developed tools and worksheets to help with the critical appraisal of different types of medical evidence.
These are available at: https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/resources/ebm-tools/critical-appraisal-tools
JBI: Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools
JBI's Critical Appraisal Tools can assist with assessing the trustworthiness, relevance and validity of research papers. Includes:
Available from https://jbi.global/critical-appraisal-tools
Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT)
The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) is intended to be used as a checklist for appraising and/or describing studies included in systematic mixed studies reviews (reviews including original qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies).
Available from http://mixedmethodsappraisaltoolpublic.pbworks.com/
A PDF user guide for MMAT is available for download
The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM)'s brief guide on Study designs can help you spot the difference and to identify the advantages/disadvantages of different study types. The guide is available from https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/resources/ebm-tools/study-designs
Appraising for Anti-Racism
Created by Ramona Naicker from Northern Care Alliance NHS Group
Available from
Barts Health NHS Trust's Knowledge and Library Services have produced a series of short videos taking you through how to critically appraise a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) using the CASP checklist. The video below is exploring how to answer question 1: Did the study address a clear focused question?
This video is a hands on introduction to using the CASP checklist to appraise systematic reviews facilitated by Dr Becky Gould, hosted by Cochrane UK in September 2021.
