15 Aug Evidence Based Practice article
http://www.prisma-statement.org/
This assignment will focus on taking your individual study critiquing skills to a new level as you search for and critique a large body of evidence on a clinical topic of interest you have identified so far in your nursing education. You will be critiquing and theoretically applying the evidence found in a meta-analysis or a systematic review. Often the terms are used interchangeably, with the main difference being that a meta-analysis includes a statistical assessment of the studies that are in the review. The chapters (11,19,20) that are assigned as required reading for Weeks 14 & 15 are essential for really understanding the process of evidence-based practice. They will give you the information and support you need to meet the outcomes and expectations of the assignment.
For this paper you will:
- Formulate a PICO question based on the clinical topic of interest identified. Table 19.1 has an example of PICO; Chapters 2-3 explicitly cover PICO development.
- Search the literature for a systematic review or meta-analysis relating to your PICO question. Chapter 11 gives you a background in systematic reviews/meta-analysis.
- Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the systematic review/meta-analysis using the PRISMA checklist. There is link above to the Prisma website. In the upper-right corner, there is a link to the checklist. The checklist is not questions to be answered but rather a guide for what kind of criteria is used to report a new systematic review of the literature. Chapter 11 has a box of Critical Appraisal Criteria for Systematic Reviews that you can use along with the PRISMA checklist to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your review.
- Discuss how the above could be applied to practice. Chapters 19 and 20 will help you with this. Boxes 20.2 and 20.3 offer ideas to think about.
Minimum of 5 substantial, complete paragraphs: An introductory paragraph (to include your clinical topic of interest, your PICO question, key search terms and parameters used for your search, the databases you searched in, and the title of your meta-analysis or systematic review), a substantial paragraph summarizing strengths, a substantial paragraph summarizing weaknesses, a paragraph discussing how this information could be applied to a practice situation, and a conclusion. Be sure to include your reference list.
