Conclusions of a Systematic Review with Narrative Synthesis

Conclusions of a Systematic Review with Narrative Synthesis

APPENDIX C

Appraisal Guide:

Conclusions of a Systematic Review  with Narrative Synthesis

Citation: Conclusions of a Systematic Review with Narrative Synthesis

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Synopsis

What organization or persons produced the systematic review (SR)?

How many persons were involved in conducting the review?

What topic or question did the SR address?

How were potential research reports identified?

What determined if a study was included in the analysis?

How many studies were included in the review?

What research designs were used in the studies?

What were the consistent and important across-studies conclusions?

Credibility

Was the topic clearly defined?                                                   Yes   No   Not clear

Was the search for studies and other
evidence comprehensive and unbiased?                                     Yes   No   Not clear

Was the screening of citations for
inclusion based on explicit criteria?                                            Yes   No   Not clear

*Were the included studies assessed
for quality?                                                                                  Yes   No   Not clear

Were the design characteristics and
findings of the included studies displayed
or discussed in sufficient detail?                                                Yes   No   Not clear

*Was there a true integration (i.e., synthesis) of the findings—not
merely reporting of findings from
each study individually?                                                             Yes   No   Not clear

*Did the reviewers explore why differences
in findings might have occurred?                                               Yes   No   Not clear

Did the reviewers distinguish between
conclusions based on consistent findings
from several good studies and those
based on inferior evidence (number  or quality)?                       Yes   No   Not clear

Which conclusions were supported by
consistent findings from two or more
good or high-quality studies?                                                    List

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Are the conclusions
credible?                                                                             Yes All   Yes Some   No

Clinical Significance

*Across studies, is the size of the
treatment or the strength of the
association found or the
meaningfulness of qualitative findings
strong enough to make a difference
in patient outcomes or experiences  of care?                              Yes   No   Not clear

Are the conclusions relevant to the
care the nurse gives?                                                                   Yes   No   Not clear

Are the conclusions
clinically significant?                                            Yes All   Yes Some   No

Applicability

Does the SR address a problem,
situation, or decision we are addressing  in our setting?            Yes   No   Not clear

Are the patients in the studies or a
subgroup of patients in the studies
similar to those we see?                                                              Yes   No   Not clear

What changes, additions, training, or
purchases would be needed to implement
and sustain a clinical protocol based
on these conclusions?                                                                 Specify and list

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Is what we will have to do to implement
the new protocol realistically achievable
by us (resources, capability, commitment)?                                Yes   No   Not clear

How will we know if our patients are
benefiting from our new protocol?                                            Specify

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Are these conclusions
applicable to our setting?                                    Yes All   Yes Some   No

Should we proceed to design
a protocol incorporating
these conclusions?                                                      Yes All   Yes Some   No

* = Important criteria

Comments

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