Appraisal Of Research Research Articles

Do the clinical practice guidelines for paediatric dentistry meet the quality standards? A meta-research and quality appraisal using the AGREE II tool.

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) enhance health care and aid clinicians' decisions. To evaluate the quality of clinical guidelines in paediatric dentistry using the AGREE II tool. PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, LIVIVO, Lilacs, international guidelines websites, scientific societies, and gray literature were searched until September 2021. We included paediatric dental clinical guidelines and excluded drafts or guidelines for patients with special needs. Two independent reviewers performed quality assessment using the APPRAISAL OF GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH & EVALUATION II (AGREE II) instrument. We calculated the mean overall domain scores (95% confidence interval) for each guideline. We used regression analysis to correlate the score of overall assessment and the six domains of AGREE II with guideline characteristics. Forty-four guidelines were included in this study. Highest mean score was for Domain 4 (Clarity of Presentation; 58%, 95% CI: 50.8-64.9), whereas the lowest was for Domain 5 (Applicability; 16%, 95% CI: 10.8-21.4). The reporting quality was improved in Domains 1-5 with reporting checklists (p < .001), whereas that of Domain 6 was improved by decreasing years since publication (p = .047). Paediatric dental guidelines do not comply with the methodological quality standard, especially in Domain 5 (Applicability). The AGREE reporting checklist should be implemented with a system to evaluate the certainty of evidence for future guidelines.

Carrying out research, critical appraisal, ethics and stakeholder involvement

Research skills are a requirement under the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards for paramedic registration. Paramedics must ‘recognise the value of research to the critical evaluation of practice’. Research in the medical field is important in order to improve the knowledge of clinicians and inform evidence-based practice. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the key components of the research process, use of a PICO [population, intervention, comparison, outcome] tool to search relevant databases and explain the critical appraisal of research in order to establish if research is valid before implementing results into paramedic practice.

Performance Appraisal System

The processes for appraising organizational performance have become more complex. However, studies have focused on specific stages in the development of Performance Appraisal Systems, disregarding their completeness. This research seeks to describe how the evolutionary stages of a Performance Appraisal System (PAS) develop in the Brazilian public port context. A one-year case study was carried out, during which time the System went through the stages of the Life Cycle proposed by Bourne et al. (2000). To develop the System, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with the decision-maker of a public port holding company, guided by the Constructivist Multi Criteria Decision Aid (MCDA-C) methodology. The results of this research show how a PAS is designed, implemented, used and updated, offering contributions to the field of research, which is criticized for the lack of evidence demonstrating the complete Life Cycle of PAS. The study also provides evidence on the construction of knowledge generated during the stages of the System Life Cycle. In this way, it was possible to contribute by providing the organization with a model capable of measuring and supporting management activities and decision-making. The combination of theoretical contributions with the knowledge derived from the illustrated empirical results corroborates the area of Performance Appraisal research on the validity of the PAS Life Cycle and contributes to leveraging the organization's performance.

Assessing the quality and completeness of reporting in health systems guidance for pandemics using the AGREE-HS tool.

During health emergencies, leading healthcare organisations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC), and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provide guidance for public health response. Previous studies have evaluated clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) produced in response to epidemics or pandemics, yet few have focused on public health guidelines and recommendations. To address this gap, we assessed health systems guidance (HSG) produced by the WHO, the ECDC, and the CDC for the 2009 H1N1 and COVID-19 pandemics. We extracted HSG for the H1N1 and COVID-19 pandemics from the organisations' dedicated repositories and websites. After screening the retrieved documents for eligibility, five assessors evaluated them using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research & Evaluation - Health Systems (AGREE-HS) tool to assess the completeness and transparency of reporting according to the five AGREE-HS domains: "Topic", "Participants", "Methods", "Recommendations", and "Implementability". Following the screening process, we included 108 HSG in the analysis. We observed statistically significant differences between the H1N1 and COVID-19 pandemics, with HSG issued during COVID-19 receiving higher AGREE-HS scores. The HSG produced by the CDC had significantly lower overall scores and single-domain scores compared to the WHO and ECDC. However, all HSG scored relatively low, under the median of 40 total points (range = 10-70), indicating incomplete reporting. The HSG produced by all three organisations received a median score <4 (range = 1-7) for the "Participants", "Methods", and "Implementability" domains. There is still significant progress to be made in the quality and completeness of reporting in HSG issued during pandemics, especially regarding methodological approaches and the composition of the guidance development team. Due to their significant impact and importance for healthcare systems globally, HSG issued during future healthcare crises should adhere to best reporting practices to increase uptake by stakeholders and ensure public trust in healthcare organisations.

Guidelines and Standard Frameworks for AI in Medicine: Protocol for a Systematic Literature Review.

Applications of artificial intelligence (AI) are pervasive in modern biomedical science. In fact, research results suggesting algorithms and AI models for different target diseases and conditions are continuously increasing. While this situation undoubtedly improves the outcome of AI models, health care providers are increasingly unsure which AI model to use due to multiple alternatives for a specific target and the "black box" nature of AI. Moreover, the fact that studies rarely use guidelines in developing and reporting AI models poses additional challenges in trusting and adapting models for practical implementation. This review protocol describes the planned steps and methods for a review of the synthesized evidence regarding the quality of available guidelines and frameworks to facilitate AI applications in medicine. We will commence a systematic literature search using medical subject headings terms for medicine, guidelines, and machine learning (ML). All available guidelines, standard frameworks, best practices, checklists, and recommendations will be included, irrespective of the study design. The search will be conducted on web-based repositories such as PubMed, Web of Science, and the EQUATOR (Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research) network. After removing duplicate results, a preliminary scan for titles will be done by 2 reviewers. After the first scan, the reviewers will rescan the selected literature for abstract review, and any incongruities about whether to include the article for full-text review or not will be resolved by the third and fourth reviewer based on the predefined criteria. A Google Scholar (Google LLC) search will also be performed to identify gray literature. The quality of identified guidelines will be evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research, and Evaluation (AGREE II) tool. A descriptive summary and narrative synthesis will be carried out, and the details of critical appraisal and subgroup synthesis findings will be presented. The results will be reported using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses) reporting guidelines. Data analysis is currently underway, and we anticipate finalizing the review by November 2023. Guidelines and recommended frameworks for developing, reporting, and implementing AI studies have been developed by different experts to facilitate the reliable assessment of validity and consistent interpretation of ML models for medical applications. We postulate that a guideline supports the assessment of an ML model only if the quality and reliability of the guideline are high. Assessing the quality and aspects of available guidelines, recommendations, checklists, and frameworks-as will be done in the proposed review-will provide comprehensive insights into current gaps and help to formulate future research directions. DERR1-10.2196/47105.

Brazilian Clinical Practice Guidelines for Sexually Transmitted Infections That Cause Urethral Discharge: Assessment According to the AGREE II and Critical Analysis Based on the WHO Recommendations.

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) can have severe consequences. In Brazil, case management is recommended by the Clinical Protocol and Therapeutical Guidelines for Comprehensive Care for People with STIs (PCDT-IST). This study assessed the quality of PCDT-IST (2021) and reviewed the main recommendations for the management of STI that cause urethral discharge compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) STI Guidelines. The PCDT-IST (2021) quality was independently assessed by 4 appraisers using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation instrument, version II (AGREE II). The PCDT-IST (2021) and the WHO Guidelines for the Management of Symptomatic STI (2021) were compared considering 14 different assessment domains. The PCDT-IST (2021) scores in the AGREE II domains were: Rigor of Development (58%), Applicability (35%), Editorial Independence (38%), Scope and Purpose (78%), Stakeholder Involvement (74%), and Clarity and Presentation (82%). The overall score was 67%, and all appraisers recommended the Brazilian guideline. Regarding the PCDT-IST (2021) and the WHO STI Guidelines (2021) comparation, 10 domains would be relevant for further reviewing the Brazilian recommendations: Diagnostic tests; Etiological approach; Treatment for recurrent urethral discharge; Treatment for urethritis without etiological agent identification; Treatment for gonococcal urethritis; Treatment for chlamydial urethritis; Retreatment for gonococcal infections; Treatment for Mycoplasma genitalium urethritis; Treatment for Trichomonas vaginalis urethritis; 10. Flowcharts. The PCDT-IST (2021) has a reasonable degree of quality. However, the domains of Applicability, Rigor of Development, and Editorial Independence must be better ensured. The guidelines comparison will help to select key topics that should be addressed with priority in the following national STI guidelines updates.

A Foucauldian analysis of research Assessment in a postcolonial context: the example of Hong Kong

ABSTRACT This article analyses performance-based research evaluation for the higher education sector in a postcolonial context through a Foucauldian lens. Using Hong Kong as an example, this paper examines the formulation of and receptions towards the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). It is argued that Hong Kong academics, especially those working in the humanities and social sciences, associate the key concepts of ‘world-leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’ research in the RAE framework with Western knowledge that undermines local and regional research. They respond to RAE in four main ways: pragmatic compliance; refusal to conform to the demands of RAE; adoption of a dualistic strategy by publishing internationally and locally; and re-imagining of research assessment coupled with the promotion of indigenous knowledge. Two significant implications are highlighted in this article. First, the preservation of a research evaluation mechanism inherited from a colonial government perpetuates and entrenches external control and dominance in the former colony. Secondly, there is a need to re-construct the research appraisal apparatus as well as advance indigenous and hybrid knowledge in a postcolonial educational landscape.

Nutritional Considerations for Bladder Storage Conditions in Adult Females.

Clinical guidelines developed by urologic, urogynecologic, and gynecologic associations around the globe include recommendations on nutrition-related lifestyle and behavioral change for bladder storage conditions. This study identified and compared clinical guidelines on three urological conditions (interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), overactive bladder, and stress urinary incontinence) affecting adult women. A three-step process was employed to identify the guidelines. Next, a quality assessment of the guidelines was conducted employing the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) International tool. (3) Results: Twenty-two clinical guidelines, prepared by seventeen groups spanning four continents, met the inclusion criteria. The AGREE II analyses revealed that most of the guideline development processes complied with best practices. The most extensive nutrition recommendations were for women with IC/BPS. Dietary manipulation for the other two storage LUTS primarily focused on the restriction or limitation of specific beverages and/or optimal fluid intake. (4) Conclusion: Clinical guidelines for IC/BPS, overactive bladder, and stress urinary incontinence include nutrition recommendations; however, the extent of dietary manipulation varied by condition. The need to ensure that clinicians are informing patients of the limitations of the evidence supporting those recommendations emerged. Furthermore, given the need to treat nutrition-related comorbid conditions as a strategy to help mitigate these three urological disorders, the value of referral to a dietitian for medical nutrition therapy is apparent.

Evidence-Informed Recommendations for Community-Based Organizations Developing Physical Activity Information Targeting Families of Children and Youth With Disabilities.

Parents of children and youth with disabilities (CYD) have expressed unique physical activity (PA) information needs. Community-based organizations (CBOs) require assistance to meet these needs. Guided by the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation II, this project established evidence-informed recommendations for developing PA information targeting families of CYD. This process involved a systematic scoping review to inform draft recommendations (k = 23), which were revised via a consensus meeting with researchers, knowledge users from CBOs, and families of CYD. Broader consultation with CBO knowledge users informed the final recommendations (k = 5) that fit within the following categories: (a)language and definitions, (b)program information, (c)benefits of PA, (d)barriers to PA, and (e)PA ideas and self-regulation tools. CBOs are encouraged to consider these recommendations when developing PA information for families of CYD. Future research will focus on the development of knowledge products to disseminate the recommendations to CBOs and support implementation.

The Academics� Perceptions of Islamic Entrepreneurship in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The goal of this research study is to critically examine the topic of Islamic entrepreneurship from a critical standpoint. According to all most all indications, the subject of Islamic entrepreneurship received little attention. The purpose of this study is to provide some light on the subject. The findings of this study will open up new chances for future academics, government officials, and commercial companies. This research constructed by Using a mix of critical appraisal of contemporary research and empirical analysis of academics' perspectives of Islamic entrepreneurship in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A). The findings of a review of contemporary literature and survey analysis demonstrate that Islamic standards, viewpoints, practices, and so on, have a significant impact on entrepreneurship in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. Several research perspectives are recommended in the study. Furthermore, it may provide assistance to civic and private companies in order to promote entrepreneurship.

LITERATURE REVIEW: TELENURSING ON ADHERENCE OF HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Background: A health problem in hemodialysis patients is non-compliance with fluid restrictions. The country with the highest incidence of end-stage renal disease in 2018 was the Jalisco region in Mexico, with 594 people per million. One of the efforts to improve patient compliance is through education and monitoring. Telenursing is one of the modern information and communication technology systems in the health sector that can be used for patient monitoring and providing nursing services. Purpose: To determine telenursing's effect on dialysis patients' adherence. Methods: The research articles were obtained from three databases, ProQuest, PubMed, and Google Scholar, with 27 articles. Search literature using keywords (Bahasa and English), telenursing OR text messaging OR telephone Follow-up OR short message system OR mobile phone text messaging AND adherence OR Compliance AND hemodialysis OR dialysis with the inclusion criteria of research articles from 2016-2020, primary articles, full text, and research subjects were hemodialysis patients (either primary or secondary). The seven articles obtained were critically assessed and analyzed using Duffy's Research Appraisal Checklist Approach. Results: Telenursing research showed increased adherence in the presence of hemodialysis, fluid restriction, medicine, dietary, physical activity, and intention to quit smoking also increased knowledge, quality of life, and self-efficacy of a dialysis patient. Conclusion: Telenursing increases adherence to care and treatment of dialysis patients and improves health status in chronic diseases.

The dark side of artificial intelligence in higher education

ABSTRACT The paper focuses on the negative aspects of artificial intelligence in higher education such as biases in the datasets and algorithms, plagiarism, factual incorrectness, micromanagement of students and employees, manipulation of behaviour, überveillance, overreliance on AI, lack of or low explainability and transparency of AI’s decisions, loss of skills, and privacy concerns. The paper adopts an operations management perspective and discusses the negative aspects of AI in the various processes in higher education institutions such as enrolment of students, hiring of employees, teaching/learning/assessment, administrative activities, research, socialisation and well-being of students, remuneration, appraisal and wellbeing of employees. Special attention is paid to AI’s impacts on ethics, creativity and critical thinking. Potential solutions to avoid or mitigate the negative impacts of AI, theoretical, managerial and policy implications are discussed as well.

Mapping global evidence on injuries/trauma due to sexual and gender-based violence for research prioritisation and development of guidelines to mitigate their impact: a scoping review protocol

BackgroundThe World Health Organization recognises injuries as a growing global public health problem. While there are several causes of injuries and trauma, relevant research is mostly centred on road traffic accidents, burns, and drowning with less focus on violence-related injuries/trauma such as sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). To identify priority research topics, prioritisation, and development of practice guidelines to mitigate the impact of injuries/trauma resulting from SGBV, this systematic scoping review will aim to map and describe the range of research relating to injuries/trauma due to SGBV in the global context.MethodsA scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework will be conducted. Literature relating to injuries/trauma and SGBV will be searched in PubMed, SCOPUS, and PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Trip, guideline repositories, websites, and reference list of included articles. This study will include evidence sources focused on the epidemiological burden, guidelines for out-of-hospital and in-hospital care of victims, barriers or facilitators to reporting and obtaining healthcare, and approaches for mitigating injuries/trauma due to SGBV. The search will be limited to publications within 10 years (2012 to 2023). Two authors will apply the eligibility criteria to identify potentially relevant citations. The data will be extracted in duplicate and methodological quality assessed using varied tools (Mixed Method Quality Appraisal Tool; and Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation instrument). The study will be reported in keeping with the Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews.DiscussionThe scoping review will highlight existing literature on injuries/trauma due to SGBV and identify gaps to facilitate research prioritisation, development of guidelines, and resource allocation to alleviate the impact of injuries/trauma resulting from SGBV. This study’s findings will be disseminated via a series of meetings with key stakeholders (local and international) in the field of healthcare, policy, social welfare, GBV interest groups, and others. Also, the final scoping review results will be presented at relevant workshops, meetings, and conferences. Moreover, this study’s findings will be disseminated via journal publications and policy briefs.

Quality appraisal of spatial epidemiology and health geography research: A scoping review of systematic reviews.

A scoping review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted to understand how systematic reviews assess the methodological quality of spatial epidemiology and health geography research. Fifty-nine eligible reviews were identified and included. Variations in the use of quality appraisal tools were found. Reviews applied existing quality appraisal tools with no adaptations (n = 32; 54%), existing quality appraisal tools with adaptations (n = 9; 15%), adapted tools or methods from other reviews (n = 13; 22%), and developed new quality appraisal tools for the review (n = 5; 8%). Future research should focus on developing and validating a quality appraisal tool that evaluates the spatial methodology within studies.

The relationship between performance appraisal interval and employees' proactive working behavior - analysis based on time-gain effect and time-loss effect.

Performance appraisal is the most widely motivation means for employees' initiative and work improvement. As a large number of organizations are moving from traditional annual performance appraisal to more frequent appraisals, there is little research to compare the motivational effect of different performance appraisal intervals. We explore the relationship between performance appraisal interval (PAI) and positive work behavior (PWB) as well as how to improve the relationship between them. Drawing from the psychological momentum (PM) theory, we constructed a model of the dual effect (the time-gain effect and time-loss effect) of PAI on PWB as well as their boundary conditions. A cross-level analysis of 622 employees in 57 teams indicated that: (1) PAI exerted a positive but marginal decreasing effect on delay of gratification (DG), and then increase PWB indirectly (i.e., the time-gain effect). (2) PAI exerted a positive and marginal increasing effect on perceived uncertainty (PU), and then decrease PWB indirectly (i.e., the time-loss effect). (3) According to the additive principle of the benefit and cost proposed by Hanns et al (2016), the addition of the time-gain effect and time-loss effect leads to an inverted U-shape effect of PAI on PWB. (4) Supervisor developmental feedback (SDF) moderated the inverted U-shape effect of PAI on PWB. This research enriches the application of PM theory in performance appraisal research, advances employee proactivity research from a perspective of organizations' time mechanisms, and also provides a theoretical basis for leaders to adopt developmental feedback as an optimization strategy.

Critical Appraisal of Anesthesiology Educational Research for 2020.

This study reviews and appraises the articles published about anesthesiology education in 2020. The objective is to highlight high-quality evidence while showcasing articles with innovative ideas and high relevance to the practices of the anesthesiology education community. Three Ovid MEDLINE databases, Embase.com, ERIC, PsycINFO, and PubMed were searched, followed by a manual review of articles published in the highest impact factor journals in both the fields of anesthesiology and medical education. Abstracts were double screened, and quantitative articles were subsequently scored by 3 randomly assigned raters. Qualitative studies were scored by 2 raters. Two different rubrics were used for scoring quantitative and qualitative studies. In addition, reviewers rated each article on its overall quality to create an additional list of top articles based solely on the opinion of the reviewers. A total of 2,491 citations were identified through the search criteria and the manual review. Of those, 61 articles met the inclusion criteria (57 quantitative and 4 qualitative). The top 12 quantitative papers and the top qualitative papers with the highest scores are reported and summarized. We found that teaching clinical procedures continues to be a topic of interest, with more studies of improved rigor identified. New trends in wellness studies and increasing attention to distance learning and technology-assisted instructional methods were additional topics covered over the year.

A protocol for a systematic review of standardised tools used in perinatal death review programmes.

Introduction: Perinatal mortality encompasses stillbirths and early neonatal deaths. A perinatal death surveillance and response cycle has been recommended by the World Health Organization for use in the review of perinatal deaths. The main components of the cycle include identifying and reporting perinatal deaths, and reviewing the deaths, including potentially modifiable factors, in order to measure and improve quality of care provided to women and infants. There is no consensus on the best way to design, implement and conduct perinatal death reviews. This systematic review aims to identify standardised tools that are used to review perinatal deaths. Objectives: The primary aim of this protocol is to describe methodology for a systematic search of the literature to identify standardised tools that are used to review perinatal deaths in upper-middle to high-income countries. Review tools may include standardised checklists, forms, frameworks or other structured documents used to review perinatal deaths. Review tools will be appraised to see if they incorporate the identification of modifiable factors in perinatal deaths and establish recommendations for improvements to quality of care provided. Methods: A systematic review of the literature will be performed to identify peer-reviewed publications and grey literature describing the use of perinatal mortality review tools without date restrictions. The eligibility of review tools for inclusion will be based on inclusion and exclusion criteria applied to the SPIDER framework. Data will be extracted based on the structure and content of included review tools, and the tools will be appraised using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation Health Systems (AGREE-HS) instrument. Conclusion: This systematic review protocol for identifying and appraising standardised perinatal mortality review tools may help to establish the optimal way to structure a standardised review process for perinatal mortality in middle- to high-income countries. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022326877.

Clinical Practice Guideline Recommendations in Pediatric Orthopaedic Injury: A Systematic Review.

Lack of adherence to recommendations on pediatric orthopaedic injury care may be driven by lack of knowledge of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), heterogeneity in recommendations or concerns about their quality. We aimed to identify CPGs for pediatric orthopaedic injury care, appraise their quality, and synthesize the quality of evidence and the strength of associated recommendations. We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science and websites of clinical organizations. CPGs including at least one recommendation targeting pediatric orthopaedic injury populations on any diagnostic or therapeutic intervention developed in the last 15 years were eligible. Pairs of reviewers independently extracted data and evaluated CPG quality using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II tool. We synthesized recommendations from high-quality CPGs using a recommendations matrix based on the GRADE Evidence-to-Decision framework. We included 13 eligible CPGs, of which 7 were rated high quality. Lack of stakeholder involvement and applicability (i.e., implementation strategies) were identified as weaknesses. We extracted 53 recommendations of which 19 were based on moderate or high-quality evidence. We provide a synthesis of recommendations from high-quality CPGs that can be used by clinicians to guide treatment decisions. Future CPGs should aim to use a partnership approach with all key stakeholders and provide strategies to facilitate implementation. This study also highlights the need for more rigorous research on pediatric orthopaedic trauma. Level II-therapeutic study.

Limitations concerning evaluation of the current guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II.

Limitations concerning evaluation of the current guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II.

Responsible knowledge use: The importance of critical appraisal in occupational therapy research and publication

Responsible knowledge use: The importance of critical appraisal in occupational therapy research and publication