Week 1- Introduction to Evidence

Question 1

What are challenges of healthcare in Australia

Answer 1

• Ageing population
• Increasing co-morbidities
• Increasing pressure on health care resources
• Increasing need for quality healthcare
• Chronic shortage of health professionals

Question 2

What are components of quality healthcare?

Answer 2

Safety
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Timeliness
Equity
Patient Centeredness

Question 3

What are the two types of evidence?

Answer 3

1) Research Evidence
- Rigorous scientific demonstrations of effectiveness of interventions for particular groups of patients, association of risk factors/outcome and reliability/validity of measurements
2) Clinical Evidence
- Written reports of patient care

Question 4

What is the definition of EBP?

Answer 4

The explicit, conscientious and judicious use of the current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients or populations

Question 5

What are the four components underpinning EBP?

Answer 5

• Clinical expertise
• Research evidence
• Patient circumstances/values
• Information from practice context

Question 6

Why is it important to consider patient values as part of EBP?

Answer 6

• Health issues are not just physiological (bio-psycho-social)
• All factors contribute to how a patient perceives their problem
• Take into account patient morals, values and beliefs

Question 7

What is the purpose of EBP?

Answer 7

• Improve quality, effectiveness and appropriateness of clinical practice
• Shares decision making with patients
• Substantiates care provided to patients
• Reduce variations in practice patterns resulting from geographical difference/gaps in current knowledge

Question 8

What are the steps involved when practicing EBP?

Answer 8

1) Assess patient/situation
2) Ask answerable clinical question
3) Acquire the evidence
4) Appraise the evidence
5) Apply the evidence

Question 9

What is primary evidence?

Answer 9

• Research conducted with actual subjects
• Data gathered from real life participants
• Quantitative/qualitative research
• Random thoughts be experts supported by literature

Question 10

What is secondary evidence

Answer 10

• Review of literature (systematic/literature)

- Data gathered from published literature

Question 11

What are the differences between primary/secondary evidence sources?

Answer 11

• Primary evidence collect data on actual subjects (lab or clinical setting) involving real life participants
• Secondary evidence reviews of literature, data from published literature

Question 12

What is quantitative research?

Answer 12

Formal, objective and systematic process in which numerical data are utilised to obtain information about the world

Question 13

What is qualitative research?

Answer 13

• Addresses the why, explore the meaning of an experience, illness or condition
• Words, descriptions, quotes to explore meaning and perspectives

Question 14

What are similarities between quantitative and qualitative research?

Answer 14

• Both seek to answer questions
• Have set methods to answer the questions
• Both research paradigms require participants, collect data and summarise collected data to answer questions

Question 15

What are differences between qualitative and quantitative research?

Answer 15

• QUANT cause and effect, QUAL describe phenomena
• QUANT hypothesis before research, QUAL hypothesis during research process
• QUANT variables controlled, QUAL has no variables natural state
• QUANT data represented numerically; stats and numbers, QUAL presented in narrative or verbal form (words/themes)
• QUANT conclusions stated with certainty, QUAL conclusion tentative; subject ongoing investigation