L10 - understanding and appraising evidence

Question 1

Define prevalence

Answer 1

The number of cases of a disease within a defined population measured at a specific point in time. Prevalent cases include incident and existing cases.

Question 2

How can prevalence be measured?

Answer 2

Diagnostic tests: blood/saliva, self report, BP monitoring, biomarker analysis
Internet chatter

Question 3

What is the type of bias where study results are subject to inaccuracy due to subjects not being present?

Answer 3

Participation bias

Question 4

What is the sensitivity of a test?

Answer 4

The ability of the test to identify people who have the disease - true positives

Question 5

What is the specificity of a test?

Answer 5

The ability of the test to exclude true negatives

Question 6

What is the positive predictive value?

Answer 6

Proportion of test results that are correct for identifying true positives

Question 7

What is the negative predictive value?

Answer 7

Proportion of the test results that are correct for identifying true negatives

Question 8

What is incidence?

Answer 8

Number of cases of a disease within a defined population measured in a specific interval of time

Question 9

What is the equation for incidence?

Answer 9

New cases in cohort/number in cohort

Question 10

What is the equation for RR?

Answer 10

incidence in exposed/incidence in unexposed

Question 11

What are the dangers of EBM?

Answer 11

Reliance on research too heavily, time consuming, patients preference and clinicians judgement may be ignored

Question 12

Define critical appraisal

Answer 12

Systematic examination of research evidence to assess its validity, results and relevance before using it to inform a decision

Question 13

Why is EBM important in medicine?

Answer 13

Core part of CP, gives clinicians confidence, keeps you up to date, better comms. with medics, more effective treatment, use of knowledge broadens

Question 14

What are the steps of a review?

Answer 14

Find model, identify topic, literature search, evaluation of findings, analysis and interpretation, describe gaps, reveal disparities, explain reasons

Question 15

How would you summarise critical appraisal findings to lecturers and peers?

Answer 15

Why did they do it? What did they do? What did they find? What did they conclude? Was it conducted well?
You can provide a ‘balance of evidence’ in your conclusion by considering all of the papers you found and their direct/inverse/no associations

Question 16

What is a general model of critical appraisal?

Answer 16

Question, design, population, methods, analysis, confounders, bias, ethics