Evidence-Based Practice: Critiquing Research Studies

One of the keys to being successful in the implementation of evidence-based practice is the ability to evaluate individual study’s level of credibility or evidence. The Southern California Nursing Research Committee searched the existing literature to locate an existing form that nurses could use to guide their critique. While the members of the Committee did not locate the perfect form, they did find one developed by Rosswrum and her colleagues¹ that could be minimally revised and endorsed for use by nurses here at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California.

Realizing that many nurses may not have had the opportunity to critique an article in the past, or that even if a nurse has had the opportunity it may have been in the distant past, the Committee members decided that they would like to do more than just post a blank form*.

The first study posted here is a randomized clinical trial*. A randomized clinical trial (RCT) is regarded as the gold standard for knowledge development by many scientists. It uses both an experimental and a control group. Subjects are randomly assigned (assigned by chance) to either the experimental or the control group. Then the experimental group receives the intervention. The control group (which receives no intervention or standard care) is used for a comparison. This particular study investigates the effect of music on chronic osteoarthritis pain in older people who are living in the community.²

If you are feeling a need to bone up on your research skills as you read the article and review the completed form*, please visit the Kaiser Permanente MultiMedia Library Web site and select from the Nursing Research Series the content that you would like to review. This 13-part series covers the Research Process from Problem Development to Writing an Abstract of your findings.

If you have any question about this review, please feel free to email your local nursing researcher or Nursing Research Committee member. If those individuals are not available, you can contact Anna Omery at Anna.K.Omery@kp.org with your questions.

1. Rosswurm, M &Larrabee, J. A model for change to evidence based practice. Image J Nurs Sch, Volume 31(4). Fourth Quarter 1999.317-322.
2. McCaffery, R & Freeman, E. Effect of music on chronic osteoarthritis pain in older people. J Adv Nur, Volume 44(5). 2003.517-524.

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Tools and Resources for Research