EVIDENCE-BASED PROJECT, PART 3: CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF RESEARCH

Realtors rely on detailed property appraisals—conducted using appraisal tools—to assign market values to houses and other properties. These values are then presented to buyers and sellers to set prices and initiate offers.

Research appraisal is not that different. The critical appraisal process utilizes formal appraisal tools to assess the results of research to determine value to the context at hand. Evidence-based practitioners often present these findings to make the case for specific courses of action.

In this Assignment, you will use an appraisal tool to conduct a critical appraisal of published research. You will then present the results of your efforts.

To Prepare:

· Reflect on the four peer-reviewed articles you selected in Module 2 and the four systematic reviews (or other filtered high- level evidence) you selected in Module 3.

· Reflect on the four peer-reviewed articles you selected in Module 2 and analyzed in Module 3.

· Review and download the Critical Appraisal Tool Worksheet Template provided in the Resources.

The Assignment (Evidence-Based Project)

Part 3A: Critical Appraisal of Research

Conduct a critical appraisal of the four peer-reviewed articles you selected by completing the Evaluation Table within the Critical Appraisal Tool Worksheet Template. Choose a total of four peer- reviewed articles that you selected related to your clinical topic of interest in Module 2 and Module 3.

Note: You can choose any combination of articles from Modules 2 and 3 for your Critical Appraisal. For example, you may choose two unfiltered research articles from Module 2 and two filtered research articles (systematic reviews) from Module 3 or one article from Module 2 and three articles from Module 3. You can choose any combination of articles from the prior Module Assignments as long as both modules and types of studies are represented.

Part 3B: Critical Appraisal of Research

Based on your appraisal, in a 1-2-page critical appraisal, suggest a best practice that emerges from the research you reviewed. Briefly explain the best practice, justifying your proposal with APA citations of the research.

LEARNING RESOURCES

Required Readings

· Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2023). 
Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

· Chapter 6, “Critically Appraising Quantitative Evidence for Clinical Decision Making” (pp. 189–228)

· Fineout-Overholt, E., Melnyk, B. M., Stillwell, S. B., & Williamson, K. M. (2010). Evidence-based practice step by step: Critical appraisal of the evidence: Part I. 


American Journal of Nursing

Links to an external site.
, 110(7), 47–52. doi:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000383935.22721.9c

· Fineout-Overhold, E., Melnyk, B.M., Stillwell, S.B., & Williamson, K.M. (2010). Evidence-based practice step-by-step: Critical appraisal of the evidence: Part II. 


American Journal of Nursing

Links to an external site.
, 110(7), 47-52

· Fineout-Overholt, E., Melnyk, B., Stillwell, S., & Williamson, K. (2010). Critical appraisal of the evidence: Part III the process of synthesis: Seeing similarities and differences across the body of evidence.

American Journal of NursingLinks to an external site.
, 110(11), 43-51. doi:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000390523.99066.b5

· Williamson, K. M. (2009). Evidence-based practice: Critical appraisal of qualitative evidence. 

Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses AssociationLinks to an external site.
, 15(3), 202–207. doi:10.1177/1078390309338733

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Document: Critical Appraisal Tool Worksheet Template (Word document)