1.3 Evidence Hierarchy Flashcards
Evidence
- They are not all of equal strength
Levels of Evidence
- Not all questions can be answered by the highest level of evidence.
- Some areas may have been extensively studied while others have not
HIGHEST TO LOWEST
Level 1 - Systemic review or meta analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
Level 2 - Randomized controlled trials
Level 3 - Quasi-experimental studies (Empirical study that estimates impact of an intervention without random assignment)
Level 4 - Non-experimental studies (Does not have variables, or random assignments of participants to particular conditions)
Level 5 - Meta-synthesis (Integration of findings from qualitative studies)
Level 6 - Qualitative studies
Level 7 - Expert opinion not based on research
Synthesis Reviews/Studies
Synthesis Studies - Bringing together multiple studies on the same topic to assess the quality of like studies.
Meta-Analysis - Synthesis of quantitative literature with statistical analysis
Integrative Review - Synthesis of quantitative, qualitative and expert opinion without statistical analysis
Meta-Synthesis - Synthesis of qualitative literature
Scoping Review - Summary of existing literature review on a topic (quantitative, qualitative and expert opinion) Used for new topics that are rapidly evolving.
Synthesis Reviews
- Will not find synthesis reviews for new topics with little research
Clinical Guidelines
- Systemically developed statements to guide practitioners and patient decisions about appropriate healthcare for specific clinical circumstances.
- Specific treatments/diagnostics and treatments for the management of patients
- Contains recommendations based on evidence.
- They are not fixed protocols that must be followed, they are just here for practitioners to consider. These are general recommendations for a course of an intervention.
Expert Panel
- Source of evidence where clinicians review evidence, come to a consensus, and offer an executive summary and recommendations.
