Biomedical subjects

R Mears

Publications and source records attributed to R Mears.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Development and validation of a questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based practice teaching.

AIM: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based practice (EBP) teaching. METHODS: The 152 questionnaires completed by health care professionals with a range of EBP experience were used in this study. Cronbach's alpha for the knowledge and attitude questions indicated a satisfactory level of internal consistency (i.e. >0.60). RESULTS: The discriminative validity was evidenced by a statistically significant difference in the knowledge and attitude scores of 'novices' (i.e. little or no prior EBP education) compared with 'experts' (i.e. health care professionals and academics currently teaching EBP). Moderate to good (> or =0.4) sensitivity index scores were observed for both knowledge and attitude scores as the result of comparing individuals before and after an EBP intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this validation study indicate that the developed questionnaire is a satisfactory tool with which to evaluate the effectiveness of EBP teaching interventions.

Education, Medical↗

PubMed2000

A systematic review of the effectiveness of critical appraisal skills training for clinicians.

The aim of this paper is to undertake a descriptive systematic review of the effectiveness of critical appraisal skills training for clinicians. Of the 10 controlled studies which examined this issue and were found to meet the eligibility criteria of this review, all used a study population of either medical students or doctors in training. The studies used a variety of different intervention 'dosages' and reported a range of outcomes. These included participants' knowledge of epidemiology/biostatistics, their attitudes towards medical literature, their ability to appraise medical literature, and medical literature reading behaviour. An overall improvement in assessed outcomes of 68% was reported after critical appraisal skills training, particularly in knowledge relating to epidemiology and biostatistics. This review appears to provide some evidence of the benefit of teaching critical appraisal skills to clinicians, in terms of both knowledge of methodological/statistical issues in clinical research and attitudes to medical literature. However, these findings should be considered with caution as the methodological quality of studies was generally poor, with only one study employing a randomized controlled design. There is a need for educators within the field of evidence-based health to consider the implications of this review.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed2000

A preliminary study of the decision-making process within general practice.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to explore the factors that contribute to the process of decision making within general practice, over and above evidence-based information. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews on a purposeful sample of GPs, based in the South West of England. Each interview was tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. RESULTS: Five broad categories emerged from the data: practitioner; patient; practitioner-patient relationship; verbal and non-verbal communication; evidence-based medicine; and external factors. CONCLUSION: The nature of general practice is such that the process of making clinical decisions is complex. In an era when GPs are being overwhelmed by evidence-based information, consideration needs to be given to the implications that the nature of the decision-making process has upon the way 'evidence' is constructed and promoted within general practice.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Demographic characteristics of the population of Greater Soweto, 1993.

"This research note provides information and findings on some aspects of urbanisation in Greater Soweto. It outlines the demographic characteristics of the population, namely the characteristics of households; household preferences for services; perceptions on accommodation; age and gender profiles; education levels; the origin of the inhabitants and mobility in and migration to Greater Soweto. Some findings are particularly important for future planning of services and low-income or subsidised housing."

Africa↗