EBP Project: QUALITATIVE ARTICLE CRITIQUE

Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Division of Nursing

N4003 Research Utilization

EBP Project: QUALITATIVE ARTICLE CRITIQUE

Name:

EBP Topic:

Article reference in APA format:

Purpose of the Study:

Research Question(s) in the article:

What are the central concepts being explored (e.g. pain, grief, etc.)? Are most of the references recent (less than 10 years old)?      YES      NO

METHODS:

What is the research design (historical research, case study, grounded theory, phenomenology, etc.)?

What are the characteristics of the participants who were included in and excluded from the study (e.g. age, health status, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic, education, etc.)?

Included:

Excluded:

Do you think the methods used to select the participants for the study biased the results?  YES   NO

Why?

Did the researcher critically examine his/her own role, potential bias, and influence?

YES             NO            UNSURE

Did many participants refuse to participate, withdraw from the study, drop out or die?

YES          NO             NOT STATED

Were there any co-existing influences that could have affected the participants’ behavior?

YES           NO

If YES, what were they?

What method(s)/tool(s) were used for data collection? (circle as appropriate)

FOCUS GROUP                        STRUCTURED INTERVIEW                    OBSERVATION

UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEW               OTHER

How were the data were recorded (tape recorder, field notes, video, etc.)?

Were methods used to ensure rigor of the data collected; if so, what were they?

YES                 NO                   NOT STATED

Methods used:

What was the environment where the data was collected?

Do you think the data collection methods biased the results?

YES                 NO

HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION:

Was informed consent obtained?                                                 YES                 NO

Was the client reasonably able to participate?                              YES                 NO

Was the study potentially/actually harmful to client/other? YES                 NO

List any ethical principles ignored (e.g. truth, confidentiality, etc.)

DATA ANALYSIS:

What methods of data analyses were used? How were categories/themes derived?

What were the main findings of the study? (the major concepts/themes that emerged)

Were any statistics used?          YES                 NO                   NOT APPLICABLE

Were there clinically significant findings?

YES                 NO                   NOT APPLICABLE                     NOT SURE

If yes, what were they?

DISCUSSION:

Do you agree with the investigator’s opinion?        YES                 NO

If not, why not?

Are the results consistent with past research?      YES                 NO                   NOT APPLICABLE

If not, why not?

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Overall, what is the risk of bias in this study?

LOW                 MEDIUM                       HIGH

Does the bias influence your confidence in using the results?

Major limitations of the study:

Major strengths of the study:

Are the results transferable?

USING THE RESEARCH RESULTS:

Will information from the study help you with:

Assessment?                                        YES     NO       MAYBE

Procedure/Protocol?                               YES     NO       MAYBE

Intervention?                                          YES     NO       MAYBE

Interpersonal Relationships?                   YES     NO       MAYBE

Worklife/Environment?                            YES     NO       MAYBE

Education Programs?                             YES     NO       MAYBE

Quality Improvement Programs?  YES     NO       MAYBE

Other:

Does the evidence from this study lend support or opposition to your EBP question? Why?

Adapted from Davies, B., & Logan, J., (2003). Reading research. A user-friendly guide for nurses  and other health professionals.  3^rd Ed. Toronto: Elsevier Canada. Tagged