Synthesizing Articles for a Review

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Synthesizing Articles for a Review

• Plus Discussion of Experimental Design and
  Manipulating a Variable

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Variable a property that can differentiate a
group or set a concept or factor that can have
more than 1 value and can vary
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More on Variables

• Independent variable a condition, intervention,
  or characteristic that will predict or cause a
  given outcome (also called predictor variable)
• Dependent variable a response or effect that is
  presumed to vary or change with presence or
  absence of the independent variable (also called
  the outcome variable)

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still more on variables.

• Attribute variables inherent physical,
  psychological or personal characteristics that
  cannot be assigned by the researcher
• Active variables factors that can be
  manipulated by the researcher so that subjects
  can be assigned to different levels of occurrence

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Variables in Descriptive/Correlational Research

• Relationships between variables is explored
• Existence of variables in specified situations is
  described
• Characteristics of variables (values and
  interrelationships) are studied one at a time
• Independent and dependent variables not specified

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Variables in Experimental Studies

• Relationships between 2 or more variables to
  predict outcomes and establish influence of one
  variable upon another
• Variables are classified as independent and
  dependent

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Experimental Design

• Provides a basis for comparing effects of 2 or
  more variables
• Allows assessment of cause and effect between
  independent and dependent variable
• Allows researcher to manipulate a variable
• Allows researcher to control or account for
  effects of extraneous variables

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Experimental Design

• Control group
• Random assignment
• Manipulate a variable
• Subjects can be assigned to groups having
  different levels of IV
• Researcher controls when the IV is introduced

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Types of Experimental Studies

• RCT controlled comparison of intervention and
  placebo
• Single subject designs small samples with
  subject as his/her own control
• Crossover designs studies where the order of
  treatment interventions is randomized
• Randomized block designs groups are divided
  into levels of an attribute variable prior to
  receiving the intervention

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Quasi-experimental Designs

• Designs where
• There is no control group
• Assignment to a group is not random (Holms Level
  3)
• Both of the above are absent

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    Experimental     Quasi-experimental    
Single subject design     Cohort    
Case-control     Descriptive (survey,
normative, correlational, methodological,
qualitative) Case study
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View Changed Article Critique Format
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Assessment of Validity

• Check validity box ONLY when components of
  validity are mentioned in the article!!
• Face validity, concurrent validity
• This will almost always be in the form of a
  specific validity study OR a statistical value
  coefficient

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Evidence-based Review Paper
Format
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Include brief summary of your case description
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Specifically state your clinical question
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Search Strategy

• Describe how you did your search
• Include names of all databases, websites, text
  books viewed, even if you didnt use citations
  from them

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Include a list of article author and year of
article used to provide evidence for your
clinical question and Holms level of evidence
for each (separate from reference list)
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Brief summary of each article

• Strengths of the article
• Research design, intervention, descriptions,
  conclusions
• Limits of the article
• Research design, sample selection
• Why you chose to include it

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A copy of each article and a critique of it using
revised Law format (available on the OT 653
website) EXCEPT meta-analyses, and systematic
reviews
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Synthesis and Discussion Across Articles

• Results relating to your question from the
  various articles, for example, pain management
  strategies that worked, efficacy of such
  strategies, which ones worked best, etc.
• Review the levels of evidence of the articles
  that related to your question and comment on this
  information

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For exampleWe used 6 articles to answer the
clinical question. Four of these were ranked at
Holms level 5 and two were ranked as level 4.
This indicates that no experimental studies were
carried out relating to certain variables and is
a weakness in the literature.
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Summary and Discussion Across Articles

• Specific aspects of your question that were NOT
  answered by your review
• Be detailed discuss missing information, dont
  just list it

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Discuss potential applications of your findings
to your clinical question how would you use the
information in treatment??
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Discuss what aspects of your clinical question
were left unanswered and how you would manage
this limitation in your treatment of the client
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If applicable, discuss other ways you might use
the information discussion with physicians,
reimbursement, client education
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Briefly discuss what the experience of doing the
review was like for you and problems you might
see attempting such a review in a clinical setting
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APA!Title page (to include all group
members)Double spaced, 12 point font, page
numbersCitations in textDirect quotes
citedcorrectlyReference list in appropriate
format at the end