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. 3rd Ed. Toronto: Elsevier Canada.
