EBM Flashcards
What are the four A’s?
Assess, access, appraise, act
What is CASP?
Critical appraisal skills programme.
What is DTA?
Diagnostic test accuracy
What is a predictive value?
The predictive value refers to the likelihood for getting a positive or negative result irrespective of whether that result is right or wrong.
What is meant by a positive predictive value?
True positives / true positive + false positive
What is meant by a negative predictive value:
TN/ TN + FN
What is sensivity?
No. of correct results.
TP/ TP + FN
What is an index test?
The new test to compare with the reference tes
What does a qualitative test do?
Assesses patient experience
What is reflexivity?
Reflexivity generally refers to the examination of one’s own beliefs, judgments and practices during the research process and how these may have influenced the research. it involves drawing attention to the researcher as opposed to ‘brushing her or him under the carpet’ and pretending that she or he did not have an impact or influence. It requires openness and an acceptance that the researcher is part of the research. It also means turning the lens back on oneself and their positionality.
What is positionality?
What we know and understand
What are the stages of thematic analysis in qualitative research?
- Familiarization of data
- Initial coding
- Themes searching
- Reviewing themes
- Naming and defining themes
- Producing the report
What is data saturation?
Data saturation refers to the point in the research process when no new information is discovered in data analysis, and this redundancy signals to researchers that data collection may cease.
What does triangulation involve?
Methods, interventions, sources
What are sources of secondary evidence?
Guidelines
Evidence summaries
Systematic reviews
What is the iterative approach?
An iterative approach is one where the content of the discussion, stimulus, or sometimes even the methodology is adapted over the course of the research programme. … This approach is particularly useful for time-sensitive projects where there isn’t scope for multiple rounds of research.
How are qualitative studies more trustworthy/ valid?
*
- Multiple reviewers
- Justification of inclusion
How is data made credible/ reliable
Showing that all data was analysed
Multiple researchers
What are some key CASP questions for an RCT?
Section A: Are the results of the trial valid?
- Did the trial address a clearly focused issue?
- Was the assignment of patients to treatments randomised?
- Were all of the patients who entered the trial properly accounted for at its conclusion?
- Were patients, health workers and study personnel ‘blind’ to treatment?
- Were the groups similar at the start of the trial
- Aside from the experimental intervention, were the groups treated equally?
Section B: What are the results?7. How large was the treatment effect?8. How precise was the estimate of the treatment effect?
Section C: Will the results help locally?9. Can the results be applied to the local population, or in your context?10. Were all clinically important outcomes considered?11. Are the benefits worth the harms and costs?
What is a sham intervention?
When someone is given something to do or take to make them feel they are taking part.
What is allocation concealment?
Allocation concealment is a different concept to blinding. It means that the person randomising the patient does not know what the next treatment allocation will be. It is important as it prevents selection bias affecting which patients are given which treatment (the bias randomisation is designed to avoid).
What is an ecological study?
Studies in which the units of observation are groups of individuals rather than individuals themselves, for example, populations of different countries, or towns, or health regions/districts.
What are cohort studies?
Cohort studies are studies in which a group of individuals who are defined on the basis of their exposure to a risk factor and are then followed-up over time to determine who develops the disease of interest.
What are the different categories of exposure in cohort studies?
Refinement of measurement of exposure:−dichotomous (ever/never exposed)
−categorical (no/low/medium/high)
−quantitative measured exposure (continuous variable)
What are some of the ways exposure and outcomes can be measured?
record linkage with national electronic databases (e.g. deaths,cancers, hospital episode statistics (HES))−questionnaire to study subjects−clinical examination
What is the equation for relative risk?
a / (a + b)
_____________
c / (c + d)
A - exposed effect. b - exposed no effect
C no exposure effect. D no exposure no effect.
What can be done to reduce confounding variables?
Adjustment for confounding may be achieved by use of standardisation, stratification or use of a suitable regression model.