Final Exam - Weeks 1 & 2 Flashcards
Why are research approaches and evidence-based practice important for OT’s? (Link back to the CAOT position statement)
The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) recognizes that a strong health system is guided by evidence-informed decision making.
Research evidence is essential to advance the knowledge related to occupation as a determinant of health and occupational therapy as an essential health service in every community.
Describe the FAME acronym in relation to evidence-based practice.
When making clinical decisions, health professionals are concerned with whether their approach is Feasible, Appropriate, Meaningful and Effective (FAME).
Evidence-based practice involves decision-making that considers the _______________, __________________, ________________, and _________________________ of practices. The best available evidence, the context in which the care is delivered, the individual patient and professional judgement and expertise of the health professional inform this process.
Feasibility, appropriateness, meaningfulness, and effectiveness (FAME).
Explain what feasibility means in the FAME acronym.
Feasibility is the extent to which an activity is practical and practicable. Clinical feasibility refers to whether or not an activity or intervention is physically, culturally or financially practical or possible within a given context.
(Feasibility=practical and/or possible within a given context?)
Explain what appropriateness means in the FAME acronym.
Appropriateness is the extent to which an intervention or activity fits with or is apt in a situation. Clinical appropriateness is about how an activity or intervention relates to the cultural or ethical context in which care is given.
(Appropriateness=relatability to cultural or ethical context)
Explain what meaningfulness means in the FAME acronym.
Meaningfulness refers to the meanings clients associate with an intervention or activity as a result of their experience of it. Meaningfulness relates to the personal experience, opinions, values, thoughts, beliefs, and interpretations of clients.
(Meaningfulness=personal experience and interpretations of clients)
Explain what effectiveness means in the FAME acronym.
Effectiveness is the extent to which an intervention, when used appropriately, achieves the intended effect. Clinical effectiveness is about the relationship between an intervention and clinical or health outcomes.
(Effectiveness=relationship between intervention and clinical/health outcomes)
As a clinician, name some ways you can be involved in research.
Producing research, collaborating with researchers, consuming research, advocating for new research, and program evaluation.
Explain how research may influence occupational therapy practice.
Research may be used to validate tests and assessments used in practice, examine how OTs use clinical reasoning, evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, advocacy and inspiring of change through participatory research.
_______ relates to how close study results are to the truth, specifically in connection to study design.
Bias
________ is related to remaining uncertainty in results (specifically in connection to sample size).
Precision
Association and causation are the same thing, true or false?
False!
Association refers to a statistical relationship between two variables, where a change in one variable is associated with a change in another variable. In other words, when two variables are correlated, we say that they are associated with each other.
Causation refers to a relationship between two variables where one variable directly causes the other variable to change. In other words, causation implies that a change in one variable leads to a change in another variable.
The difference between association and causation is that association simply means that two variables are related, while causation implies that one variable causes the other to change. It is possible for two variables to be associated without one causing the other.
Explain what a research paradigm is.
Research paradigms are broad philosophical frameworks or approaches that researchers use to guide their investigations. They are a set of shared assumptions, methods, and procedures that help researchers define their research questions, identify appropriate research methods, and interpret their findings.
These varying definitions refer to _______________.
“sets of beliefs and practices, shared by communities of researchers, which regulate inquiry within disciplines”
“sets of philosophical underpinnings from which specific research approaches flow”
“identification of the underlying basis that is used to construct a scientific investigation”
Research paradigms.
Explain a positivist paradigm.
Positivism is a research paradigm that assumes that there is an objective reality that can be observed and measured through quantitative methods.
It is based on the idea that knowledge is acquired through empirical observation and scientific inquiry, and that the goal of research is to discover universal laws and generalizations that can be applied to different contexts.
“knowledge is discovered and verified through direct observations or measurements of phenomena”
What research paradigm is being described? “knowledge is discovered and verified through direct observations or measurements of phenomena”
Positivist.
In a positivist research paradigm is the researcher independent of the study participant?
Yes.
What research paradigm is being described? “knowledge is established through the meaning attached to the phenomena studied”
A naturalistic paradigm.
Explain a naturalistic research paradigm.
A naturalistic research paradigm is a research approach that assumes that reality is subjective and that it is constructed by individuals through their own experiences and interpretations. In a naturalistic paradigm, the researcher seeks to understand the subjective experiences and meanings that individuals attach to their world, rather than identifying universal laws and generalizations.
In a naturalistic research paradigm, research questions are framed in terms of how individuals experience and interpret their world. Data is collected using _______________ methods such as interviews, observations, and document analysis, and is analyzed using interpretive techniques such as content analysis or narrative analysis.
Qualitative
In a positivist research paradigm, research questions are framed as hypotheses that can be tested through ________________ or ____________. Data is collected through objective and standardized methods, such as surveys, experiments, or observations, and analyzed using statistical techniques to identify patterns and relationships.
experimentation or statistical analysis.
Naturalistic research has been criticized for its emphasis on subjectivity and lack of generalizability, which can limit the…
applicability of findings to different contexts or populations.
(Naturalistic = interpretivist = qualitative)
Positivist research has been criticized for its focus on objectivity and quantification, which can lead to…
oversimplification of complex phenomena and neglect of subjective experiences.
(Positivist = generalist = quantitative)
If you follow a positivist paradigm, the goal of the study is to identify one set of results (one true reality) that can be ___________________ to a larger population.
generalizable
If you follow a __________ paradigm, you may interview only a handful of clients for longer periods of time to understand multiple meanings of a phenomenon in the minds of people who experience it, the researcher neither attempts to unearth a single “truth” from the realities of participants nor tries to achieve outside verification of his or her analysis.
Naturalist
______________________ refers to the systematic and theoretical analysis of the methods or procedures used to conduct research or solve a problem. It is the process of selecting and using appropriate methods, techniques, and procedures to collect, analyze, and interpret data, and to draw conclusions based on the findings.
Methodology
Qualitative = _____________ paradigm = r_________
Quantitative = _____________paradigm = r_________
Qualitative = naturalist = relativism
Quantitative = positivist = realism
___________________ involves the selection of methodological tools that are most appropriate for solving a knowledge problem, is driven by the research question, and can be equally qualitative and quantitative or weighted more to one than the other.
Mixed methods design
Research questions can be classified into three different levels based on their scope and specificity: __________, ___________and ___________.
descriptive, relational, and causal.
Explain descriptive research questions.
These questions aim to describe a phenomenon or a population. They seek to provide a detailed and comprehensive account of a particular aspect of the world, such as behavior, and event, or a group of people.
Descriptive research questions typically start with words such as “what”, “who”, “where”, “when” and “how many”.
The following is an example of what type of research question?
“What percentage of the population owns a smartphone?”
Descriptive.
Explain relational research questions.
These questions aim to explore the relationship between two or more variables. They seek to understand how changes in one variable affect changes in another variable, or how two variables are related to each other. Relational research questions typically start with “what is the relationship between,” “what is the effect of,” or “how does X affect Y.”
The following is an example of what type of research question?
“What is the relationship between stress and job performance?”
Relational.
The following is an example of what type of research question?
“Does regular exercise lead to better mental health?”
Causal.
Explain causal research questions.
These questions aim to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between two or more variables. They seek to determine whether changes in one variable cause changes in another variable, or whether there is a direct or indirect causal relationship between two or more variables. Causal research questions typically start with words such as “does X cause Y,” “what is the effect of X on Y,” or “how does X lead to Y.”
Name the 3 levels of research questions:
Level 1:______________
Level 2:______________
Level 3:______________
1: Descriptive
2: Relational
3: Causal
(DRC)
Explain the Nuremberg code and how it relates to research ethics.
The Nuremberg code is a set of ethical guidelines developed in response to the unethical medical experiments conducted by Nazi doctors during World War II. It was developed in 1947 by an international tribunal at the Nuremberg trials, and it established the principles of informed consent and ethical research involving human subjects.
The Nuremberg code has ten principles, including:
- The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential.
- The experiment should be designed to yield results for the good of society, unprocurable by other methods.
- The experiment should be conducted only by scientifically qualified persons.
- The subject should be at liberty to bring the experiment to an end if he has reached the physical or mental state where continuation of the experiment seems to him to be impossible.
The Nuremberg code established the principles of informed consent, voluntary participation, and protection of human subjects from harm in research. It has been a significant influence on the development of research ethics guidelines and regulations around the world, including the Declaration of Helsinki and the Belmont Report.
Today, the Nuremberg code serves as a foundation for ethical conduct in research involving human subjects, and it is used as a reference point in discussions and debates about research ethics. Its principles continue to be relevant and essential for protecting the rights and welfare of human subjects in research.
Explain the Declaration of Helsinki and how it relates to research ethics.
The Declaration of Helsinki is a set of ethical guidelines that provide guidance for physicians and other researchers conducting biomedical research involving human subjects. It was first developed in 1964 by the World Medical Association and has been revised several times since then, with the most recent version being adopted in 2013.
The Declaration of Helsinki outlines the ethical principles that should guide research involving human subjects, including the requirement for informed consent, the need to protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants, the importance of ensuring that risks are minimized and benefits are maximized, and the obligation to conduct research in accordance with accepted scientific and ethical principles.
One of the key contributions of the Declaration of Helsinki to research ethics is its emphasis on the importance of protecting vulnerable populations, such as children, prisoners, pregnant women, and individuals with impaired decision-making capacity. The Declaration requires that additional safeguards be put in place to protect these groups from exploitation and harm in research.
The Declaration of Helsinki has been influential in shaping research ethics guidelines and regulations around the world, and it has played a significant role in promoting ethical conduct in biomedical research involving human subjects. It is often used as a reference point in discussions and debates about research ethics, and its principles continue to be relevant and important for protecting the rights and welfare of human subjects in research.
Explain the Belmont report and how it relates to research ethics.
The Belmont Report is a document that provides ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects in the United States. It was developed by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research in 1979, in response to the unethical medical experiments conducted during the 20th century.
The Belmont Report outlines three ethical principles that should guide research involving human subjects: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. Respect for persons means that individuals should be treated as autonomous agents capable of making informed decisions about their participation in research. Beneficence means that research should maximize benefits and minimize harms to participants. Justice means that the benefits and burdens of research should be distributed fairly.
The Belmont Report has been influential in shaping research ethics guidelines and regulations in the United States, and it has played a significant role in promoting ethical conduct in research involving human subjects. Its principles continue to be relevant and important for protecting the rights and welfare of human subjects in research.
One of the key contributions of the Belmont Report to research ethics is its emphasis on the importance of informed consent, which requires that participants be provided with sufficient information about the research to make an informed decision about whether to participate. The Belmont Report also highlights the importance of protecting vulnerable populations, such as children, pregnant women, and individuals with impaired decision-making capacity, from exploitation and harm in research.
