Summarize and appraise an article for bias and validity.

Instructions: Carefully read, summarize, and appraise your group's assigned article. The discussion board for this week should cover the following concepts in order to have a complete draft by the end of the week. Apply the concepts discussed in the lecture and the readings. As you provide input, be sure to state a rationale for your claims.

1. Identify and discuss what is known/not known about the topic and the gap in knowledge the study is intended to fill.

2. Identify and discuss the research design, purpose of the study, and setting.

3. Identify and discuss the following about the sample: method; size; inclusion/exclusion criteria, attrition/loss to follow up/response rate, if any; important characteristics of the sample.

4. Appraise and debate the sampling methods. Consider the following questions: ◦ Was the sampling method and inclusion/exclusion criteria

adequate to reduce sampling bias? ◦ Do the sample characteristics representative of the target

population? ◦ Was the sample size adequate? ◦ Was there a decrease in sample size? If so, did the

researchers identify decreases early and attempt to reduce the impact? Was a decrease, if any, adequately explained by the researchers?

◦ How would you rate the quality of the sampling procedures and your confidence in drawing inferences to the target population

1. Identify and discuss the dependent variable(s) and the instrument(s) used to measure them.

2. Identify and discuss how the data for the dependent variable(s) were collected.

3. Identify and discuss the intervention and procedures for delivering it. 4. Identify and discuss the key results for the study, including any p-

values, reported. 5. Identify and discuss the conclusions the researchers drew. 6. Appraise and debate the quality of the data collection methods and

determine whether the conclusions of the study were supported by the statistical results. Consider the following questions: ◦ Were the measurement instruments reliable and valid? Why or

why not?

◦ Was treatment fidelity for the intervention ensured? Why or why not?

◦ Were the conclusions of the study were supported by the statistical results, as indicated by the variable values and the p- values if reported?

1. Identify and discuss the broader importance of the topic of the study as it applies to patients and organizations.

2. Discuss the nursing implications of the findings of the research. Consider the following questions: ◦ Were the results statistically significant, if reported? ◦ What is the clinical significance of the findings? ◦ What are the risks vs. benefits to practice of the findings? ◦ Are the findings feasible to implement?