SEI Research Methods and Evidence 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What are the three components of evidence-based practice?
- Best available evidence, clinical expertise, and client values (Correct answer)
- Research data, administrative policy, and cost analysis
- Clinical trials, staff preferences, and facility guidelines
- Academic literature, government mandates, and insurance requirements
Correct answer: Best available evidence, clinical expertise, and client values
Evidence-based practice integrates the best available research evidence with clinical expertise and patient preferences.
Question 2: Which level of evidence is generally considered the strongest?
- Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (Correct answer)
- Single case studies
- Expert opinion
- Anecdotal reports
Correct answer: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses synthesize findings from multiple high-quality studies, providing the most reliable evidence.
Question 3: What is a randomized controlled trial (RCT)?
- A study where participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups (Correct answer)
- Any study published in a medical journal
- A trial that tests multiple drugs simultaneously
- A study conducted only in laboratory settings
Correct answer: A study where participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups
RCTs randomly assign participants to groups, minimizing bias and allowing researchers to determine cause-and-effect relationships.
Question 4: Why is critical appraisal of research important?
- To evaluate the quality, validity, and applicability of study findings (Correct answer)
- To find reasons to reject all research
- To confirm pre-existing beliefs
- To simplify complex statistics
Correct answer: To evaluate the quality, validity, and applicability of study findings
Critical appraisal helps determine whether research findings are trustworthy and relevant to specific practice situations.
Question 5: What does the PICO framework help formulate?
- A focused clinical question for literature searching (Correct answer)
- A patient discharge summary
- A quality improvement action plan
- A budget proposal
Correct answer: A focused clinical question for literature searching
PICO (Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) structures clinical questions to facilitate effective literature searches.
Question 6: How should conflicting evidence be handled in practice decisions?
- Weigh the quality of studies and consider the totality of evidence (Correct answer)
- Always follow the most recent study regardless of quality
- Disregard all evidence and rely on experience only
- Choose the evidence that supports current practice
Correct answer: Weigh the quality of studies and consider the totality of evidence
When evidence conflicts, practitioners should evaluate study quality, consider all available evidence, and apply clinical judgment.
SEI Research Methods and Evidence 1
What are the three components of evidence-based practice?