Reference no: EM133519916

Assignment - Locating evidence critical discussion

Learning Outcome 1: Communicate with clarity and purpose, using appropriate evidence and language to support judgements and justify opinions.

Learning Outcome 2: Collaborate with peers on evidence-based practices by analysing contemporary approaches to disaster, emergency of health practices.

Instructions

This assessment requires you to identify a process/intervention/guideline considered ‘gold standard' in your field (e.g. best practice guideline etc.) and to discuss the merits of this based on your reading of the scientific literature.

The process/intervention/guideline you choose could come from a system you know to be in place at your workplace (or another workplace you are aware of). Alternatively, it could be a new treatment or intervention which you have heard about but is not yet implemented. Examples (and these are merely examples to get you thinking about the types of processes/interventions/guidelines you could consider) may include things like:

• An ambulance services triage system for multi casualty events
• 30 compressions to 2 breaths CPR practice guidelines
• Guidelines for when it is appropriate for lights and sirens on ambulances to be on
• Guidelines/processes to identify Priority one calls in the call centre
• Pain relief management guidelines for an ambulance service (e.g. Ambulance Victoria suggests for non IV therapy for moderate to severe pain Fentanyl IN is most appropriate)
• The use of drones in defibrillator delivery in remote areas
• The use of troponin in the prehospital environment to expedite myocardial infarction diagnosis
• The use of cognitive behavioural therapy in the short-term management of depression amongst cancer patients
• The use of Yoga therapy for people with chronic mental health conditions
• The use of training programs to better prepare healthcare responders to identify and respond to intimate partner violence
• The use of diethyltoluamide (DEET) as a mosquito repellent
• The use of ‘mindful' eating practices to improve nutritional outcomes of adults with eating disorders

Have a good think about the process/intervention/guideline you want to focus on for this assignment. Ideally, you would stick with this choice for assessments two and three in this unit. You can change to another process/intervention/guideline for other assessments if you would prefer, but the ideal pathway is for you to maintain the same process/intervention/guideline for all three assessments.
Once you have identified a process/intervention/guideline you want to research. Your job is to locate one scientific source (i.e. peer-reviewed journal article) that speak to the validity (or lack there-of) of this process/intervention/guideline. Post these articles into your Discussion forum to facilitate discussion with your peers. Make clear why you chose this particular process/intervention/guideline, and discuss what the piece of literature you have sourced says about it. Does it clearly provide data in support of the process/intervention/guideline, or is it not so clear cut? Participation in the online discussion is designed to assist you with enhancing your understanding of a range of perspectives.

The purpose of this (and future assessments in this unit) is to build an evidence-base in support or contrast of the process/intervention/guideline you have chosen. Ultimately, you may determine that there is a solid evidence base for the ongoing implementation of your process/intervention/guideline. Conversely, from your reading of the associated literature you may find that the evidence in support of your process/intervention/guideline may be lacking, and that more thought and more research needs to be undertaken prior to ongoing implementation, or new implementation. It may be that a solid evidence-based behind a new initiative is beginning to form, but more work needs to be done into how to actually implement the new technology or intervention on a broad scale.

Your task

1. You should have completed the lecture material and workbook activities for Modules 1-4 (at least).

2. Go to Canvas > Assignments > Assessment 1 - Online Critical Discussion > Group X (where X is your assigned group number).

3. Scroll to the bottom to begin posting (a video is provided under the Resources section below if you are unsure where to provide your posts).

4. Your initial discussion post should include:
• The process/intervention/guideline you have chosen to focus on
• Why you have chosen to focus on this particular process/intervention/guideline
• Provide the citation of the scientific journal article you have read in relation to this process/intervention/guideline
• Discuss the article. What research question did the article seek to answer? How did they do this? What did they conclude? Do you agree with the conclusions of the article?

5. Your initial post should be approximately 200-250 words in length. End your discussion post with a question, to prompt other students to respond.

6. You will be graded on the quality of your initial post, responses to posts within your specific discussion thread, and also your responses to your other group member discussion threads. Students are expected to contribute to all discussion threads (not just their own discussion thread).

Annotated bibliography

Learning Outcome 1: Apply research appraisal models to assess the rigour and verify the accuracy of published information
Learning Outcome 2: Evaluate the research literature relating to evidence-based practice in disaster, emergency or health practice
Learning Outcome 3: Communicate with clarity and purpose, using appropriate research evidence and language to support judgements and justify opinions

This assessment task builds off the work you undertook in assessment one. You are required to critique five studies that discuss the process/intervention/guideline you used for assessment one (*Note-you may change to a different process/ intervention/guideline from assessment one if you would prefer). Your primary focus on the critique of each study should include:
• A short introduction of the topic
• The body encompassing the critique of your five articles.
• Things to focus on should include:
o The scope of the research and how well it aligns with your research topic
o The methodological design utilised and the suitability of it to answer the proposed research question
o The strengths and limitations of the study design
o The validity of the conclusions drawn. How far can the results be generalised?
• A short conclusion describing the current ‘state-of-play' with respect to what the evidence is saying about your process/intervention/guideline (as evidenced by your five cited papers). Where possible try to utilise contemporary (recent) literature.