HLT 540 Grand Canyon Week 4 Discussion 2

As you have learned to evaluate different research studies, what elements seem the most important to you for evaluation of the research’s quality? Why?

MORE INFO 

Evaluating the quality of research studies

Introduction

When you’re looking at research studies, it’s important to understand what they are and how they can help or hurt you. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to evaluating the quality of research studies. However, there are some general guidelines that can help you navigate the process:

Use information from a variety of sources to understand the pros and cons of different treatments.

• Use information from a variety of sources to understand the pros and cons of different treatments.

• Do your own research on the topic, including reading books and magazines, looking up websites related to your condition, or talking with other people who have similar experiences.

• If you have access to a computer with Internet access, search for studies on PubMed (www.ncbi.nlm.nih .gov/pubmed) or use Google Scholar (scholar.google .com). You can also find information about specific treatments by using search engines such as Bing (bing .microsoft .com) or Yahoo! Search (search engine).

Find out if the researchers have financial interests in companies that might benefit from their results.

A good way to find out if the researchers have financial interests in companies that might benefit from their results is to look at their funding sources. If a study is funded by a pharmaceutical company, it’s more likely that the conclusions will be positive for that drug—and if they’re not positive, they’ll just say so.

There are other ways to assess whether or not there may be bias in your research. For example:

• Check out who wrote it and where they work!

• Look up their previous works on Google Scholar or PubMed (or whatever database you use). If someone has written lots of papers on something similar before then chances are high that these findings won’t surprise us much either!

Check to see if the findings were reported by independent researchers or by employees of a drug or medical device company.

Check the name of the company that funded the study. If it’s not clear from reading your article, ask yourself: Who is this study funded by? Are they a pharmaceutical company or medical device manufacturer? This information can help you determine whether or not there are any conflicts of interest in your research.

If you’re looking for financial disclosures about who paid for certain parts of your research, here are some key questions to ask: What kind of funding did I receive for my project? Who paid for it—a private foundation or government agency (e.g., U.S. National Institutes of Health)? Is there anything unusual about where my funding came from (e.g., private companies rather than public organizations)? Does anyone else get involved with this project besides me and my colleagues who perform actual work on our studies’ outcomes?

Divide studies into three broad categories:

There are three broad categories of studies: randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and case reports.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the most rigorous type of study and should be used to evaluate the effectiveness of any treatment or intervention. They consist of two groups: one that receives the treatment under study and another that does not receive it. The goal is to determine whether there is a difference between these two groups in terms of their response to the treatment being tested—or whether they respond equally well regardless of whether they received or did not receive it—and therefore conclude that this particular treatment works as intended by its developers!

Observational studies investigate what might happen naturally over time without intervention from outside factors (like drugs). Observational data often come from surveys where people are asked about their experiences with certain health conditions or behaviors like smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol on a regular basis over time; however, these types don’t always provide information about cause-effect relationships between certain factors because they rely more heavily on self-reporting rather than direct observation.”

Get expert help interpreting research studies. Say what you need to say and then stop.

The first step in evaluating the quality of a research study is to make sure you understand it.

• Ask questions. You don’t have to be afraid of speaking up and asking for clarification if something doesn’t seem clear, even if it seems obvious to you. A patient advocate or nurse can help clarify things further by explaining what they mean by “no difference” or “no effect.”

• Be sure that what you’re saying makes sense in context—that is, read through all parts of the paper before making your decision about whether or not this study was conducted well enough for us to apply its findings in our practice without bias (for example).

• Don’t be afraid of asking for help! We’re human beings after all: we’ll always need someone else’s perspective on something before we arrive at an answer ourselves

Ask your doctor about the latest developments in your condition or treatment options and find out what he or she thinks about them.

The first step to evaluating the quality of a research study is to find out what your doctor thinks about it. If you are not sure, ask for a second opinion. This can be done by either asking the doctor directly or by asking him or her if he or she would be willing to discuss his or her thoughts with you over the phone (assuming that there is no problem with making such calls). If this does not work and you still feel uncomfortable getting another opinion from an expert in this field, then consider finding one yourself by talking with other doctors who specialize in treating similar problems.

Make sure study results are accurate before changing anything about your health care.

Make sure study results are accurate before changing anything about your health care.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is the study’s methodology sound? Do I know how the researchers gathered their data, what kind of people they used to test their drugs, and whether they were blinded to all other treatments being given at the same time (and if so, how)?

• Was there undue influence on how participants were recruited or tested? Were there any conflicts of interest in those who conducted studies for one company over another? If so, consider taking this into account when evaluating whether or not you should stop using a particular product or medication based on these findings.

Conclusion

We’ve covered a lot of ground here, but we’re not done yet. Remember that the best way to get good information from research studies is to be proactive and ask for it yourself. We hope that this post has helped you figure out which sources might be best for evaluating the quality of research studies in your area, or even helped you find some new ones!

Collepals.com Plagiarism Free Papers

Are you looking for custom essay writing service or even dissertation writing services? Just request for our write my paper service, and we'll match you with the best essay writer in your subject! With an exceptional team of professional academic experts in a wide range of subjects, we can guarantee you an unrivaled quality of custom-written papers.

Get ZERO PLAGIARISM, HUMAN WRITTEN ESSAYS

Why Hire Collepals.com writers to do your paper?

Quality- We are experienced and have access to ample research materials.

We write plagiarism Free Content

Confidential- We never share or sell your personal information to third parties.

Support-Chat with us today! We are always waiting to answer all your questions.