MSN5300: Advanced Nursing Inquiry, Research, and Evidence-Based Practice

Critical Appraisal Worksheet for Individual
Project 2, Part b

Elements of Appraisal

Discussion               

Study Design

Was the study a qualitative
or quantitative design? Explain.

Practice Problem

State the practice
problem/issue that is the focus of the study.

How does this practice
problem/issue affect your nursing
practice?

Study
Purpose          

State the purpose of the study.

Discuss whether this study was feasible to conduct in
terms of money commitment; the researchers’ expertise; availability of
subjects, and ethical considerations.

Review of Literature

Was the literature review organized to show the
progressive development of evidence from previous research?

Was a clear, concise summary presented of the current empirical
and theoretical knowledge in the area of the study?

Did the literature review summary identify what was known
and not known about the research problem? Did it logically direct the
research purpose?

Theoretical Framework

Is a conceptual model or theoretical framework used? If
so, is it presented with clarity? Does it adequately explain the phenomenon
of concern?

Is the framework linked to the research purpose? If not,
would another framework fit more logically with the study?

If a proposition or relationship from a theory is to be
tested, is the proposition clearly identified and linked to the study
hypothesis?

Research Question(s) and Hpothesis(es)

What is the research question? Is it clearly stated?

Does the research question match the purpose of the
study?

What is the research
hypothesis? Is it clearly stated?

Does the hypothesis match
the purpose of the study?

Formulate a null hypothesis
for this study.

Were the objectives,
questions, or hypotheses logically linked to the concepts and relationships
(propositions) in the framework? Explain.

Variables

List all research variables
with corresponding levels of measurement on the NOIR scale.

Do variables represent the
concepts identified in the framework?

How is each study variable defined (both conceptually and operationally)?

Are conceptual definitions of variables consistent with
operational definitions?

Study Design

What was the design was used in the study? Was it the
most appropriate design to answer the study question? Explain.

Was the design logically linked to the sampling method
and statistical analyses?

Did the design provide a means to examine all
objectives, questions, or hypotheses?

If there was an intervention (treatment) in the study:

–  
what was the
intervention? was it clearly described?

–  
was the treatment
appropriate for examining the study purpose and hypotheses?

–  
did the study
framework explain the links between the treatment (independent variable) and
the proposed outcomes (dependent variables)?

–  
were subjects
randomly assigned to the treatment group, or were the treatment and
comparison groups dependent?

–  
were the treatment
and comparison group assignments appropriate for the purpose of the study?

–  
was a protocol
developed to promote consistent implementation of the treatment to ensure
intervention fidelity?

–  
did the researcher
monitor implementation of the treatment to ensure consistency? How might this
impact findings?

Study Sample

Were any subjects excluded
from the study because of age, socioeconomic status, or ethnicity? If so,
explain. Was sound rationale provided?

Did the sample include an
understudied or vulnerable population, such as young, elderly, pregnant, or
minority subjects?

What sampling criteria
(inclusion and exclusion) were used? Was sampling criteria appropriate for
the type of study conducted? Explain.

Were the rights of human
subjects protected? Explain.

Was the refusal rate for the
study provided? If so:

–  
was it greater than 20%?

–  
how might this have affected the representativeness of the
sample?

–  
did the researchers provide rationale for the refusals?

Was the attrition rate for
the study provided? If so:

–   what was it?

–   did the researchers provide a rationale
for the attrition of study participants?

–   how did attrition influence the final
sample as well as study results and findings?

How large is the sample?

How was sample size
determined?

Research Instruments

Did the measurement methods
selected for the study adequately measure the study variables?

What instruments or tools
were used to collect data?

How did you determine if the
instruments are valid? reliable?

Respond to the following
questions that are relevant to the measurement approaches used in the study:

1. Scales and questionnaires

(a) Were the instruments
clearly described?

(b) Were techniques for
completion and scoring of the instruments provided?

(c) Were validity and
reliability of the instruments described?

(d) Did the researcher
reexamine the validity and reliability of instruments for the present sample?

(e) If an instrument was
developed for the study, was the instrument development process described?

2. Observation

(a) Were phenomenon that
were to be observed clearly identified and defined?

(b) Was interrater
reliability described?

(c) Were techniques for
recording observations described?

3. Interviews

(a) Did interview questions
address concerns expressed in the research problem?

(b) Were interview questions
relevant for the research purpose and objectives, questions, or hypotheses?

(c) Did the design of the
questions tend to bias subjects’ responses?

(d) Did the sequence of
questions tend to bias subjects’ responses?

4. Physiological measures

(a) Were physiological
measures clearly described? If appropriate, are brand names (ex.,
Hewlett-Packard) of instruments identified?

(b) Were accuracy,
precision, and error of physiological instruments discussed?

(c) Were physiological
measures appropriate for the research purpose and objectives, questions, or
hypotheses?

(d) Were methods for
recording data from physiological measures clearly described? Was recording
of data consistent?

Data Collection

State the data collection
procedures.

How often were data
collected and for how long?

Was the data collection
process conducted in a consistent manner?

Did any adverse events occur
during data collection? If adverse events did occur, how were they managed?

Data Analysis

Were data analysis
procedures clearly described?

What statistical tests were
used to analyze data?

Were statistical tests suitable
to the types of data collected/levels of measurement? Explain.

What assumptions in the data
must be met for the type of statistical tests used? How do you know if these
assumptions were met?

Were data analysis
procedures clearly described? Did the researcher address any problems with
missing data and if so, how was this problem managed?

Were data analysis
techniques consistent with the study purpose research objectives, questions,
and/or hypotheses? Explain.

Were data logically
organized/presented in tables, graphs and/or charts? Describe.

What was the alpha for each
statistical test?

Describe how statistical
significance was demonstrated (or not) for each variable.

Study Results and Interpretation

Were study results
statistically significant? How did you determine statistical significance?

What is your statistical
interpretation of study results?

Were findings discussed in
relation to each objective, question, or hypothesis? In other words, was the
research question/hypothesis answered? Describe.

Were study findings clinically
significant? If so:

–     
discuss implications of the study for nursing practice.

–     
what changes could you make in your practice based on the
results of this study?

What were the study
conclusions? Did   conclusions fit the results from the data
analyses? Were the conclusions based on statistically significant and
clinically important results? Explain.

Were study limitations
described? Discuss. Do you think the study had weaknesses not identified by
the researcher? If so, explain.

Did the researcher
generalize the findings appropriately? Who will benefit from results of the
study? Discuss.

Were there any unexpected
findings? Discuss.

Recommendations for Future Research

Discuss study
recommendations.

Is need for further research
identified?

Study Rigor

Discuss elements of rigor
based on study design. In your opinion, did the researchers address these
aspects adequately in the published report? Why or why not?

How does rigor impact study
results?