An Assessment of the Methodological Quality of Research Published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine

2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 1812-1815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Brophy ◽  
Michael J. Gardner ◽  
Omar Saleem ◽  
Robert G. Marx
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Sports Medicine ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Prospective Data ◽  
Article Type ◽  
Based Medicine ◽  
Published Research

Background Evidence-based medicine has become a popular topic in academic medicine during the past several decades and more recently in orthopaedics and sports medicine. Hypothesis Articles published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine have shown an improvement in methodological quality in 2001-2003, compared with 1991-1993. Study Design Systematic review. Methods All articles published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine during the periods 1991-1993 and 2001-2003 were reviewed and classified by type of study. The use of pertinent methodologies such as prospective data collection, randomization, blinding, and controlled studies was noted for each article. The frequency of each article type and the use of evidence-based techniques were compared across study periods. Results Case series and descriptive studies decreased during the study period, from 27.4% to 15.3% (P=. 00003) and from 11.9% to 5.6% (P=. 001), respectively, of articles published. Prospective cohort studies increased from 4.7% to 14.1% (P=. 000005), and randomized, prospective clinical trials increased from 2.7% to 5.9% of articles (P=. 04). More studies tested an explicit hypothesis (P=. 0000002), used prospective data collection (P=. 000003), and used blinding (P=. 02), and more studies identified a funding source (P=. 004). Conclusions Overall, there was a shift toward more prospective and randomized research designs published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine during 2001-2003 compared to 1991-1993, demonstrating an improvement in the methodological quality of published research.

scholarly journals Methodological quality and synthesis of case series and case reports

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hassan Murad ◽  
Shahnaz Sultan ◽  
Samir Haffar ◽  
Fateh Bazerbachi
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Study Designs ◽  
Inform Decision Making

Case reports and case series are uncontrolled study designs known for increased risk of bias but have profoundly influenced the medical literature and continue to advance our knowledge. In this guide, we present a framework for appraisal, synthesis and application of evidence derived from case reports and case series. We propose a tool to evaluate the methodological quality of case reports and case series based on the domains of selection, ascertainment, causality and reporting and provide signalling questions to aid evidence-based practitioners and systematic reviewers in their assessment. We suggest using evidence derived from case reports and case series to inform decision-making when no other higher level of evidence is available.

Será que estamos precisando de uma lava jato científica?

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Antonio Marcos Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Journal ◽  
British Medical Journal ◽  
Evidence Based Medicine ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Plos Medicine ◽  
De Se ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Based Medicine ◽  
Published Research

Em 2005, o grego John Loannidis, professor da Universidade de Stanford, publicou um artigo na PLOS Medicine intitulado “Why most published research findings are false” [1]. Ele que é dos pioneiros da chamada “meta-ciência”, disciplina que analisa o trabalho de outros cientistas, avaliou se estão respeitando as regras fundamentais que definem a boa ciência. Esse trabalho foi visto com muito espanto e indignação por parte dos pesquisadores na época, pois colocava em xeque a credibilidade da ciência.Para muitos cientistas, isso acontece porque a forma de se produzir conhecimento ficou diferente, ao ponto que seria quase irreconhecível para os grandes gênios dos séculos passados. Antigamente, se analisavam os dados em estado bruto, os autores iam às academias reproduzir suas experiências diante de todos, mas agora isso se perdeu porque os estudos são baseados em seis milhões de folhas de dados. Outra questão importante que garantia a confiabilidade dos achados era que os cientistas, independentemente de suas titulações e da relevância de suas descobertas anteriores, tinham que demonstrar seus novos achados diante de seus pares que, por sua vez, as replicavam em seus laboratórios antes de dar credibilidade à nova descoberta. Contudo, na atualidade, essas garantias veem sendo esquecidas e com isso colocando em xeque a validade de muitos estudos na área de saúde.Preocupados com a baixa qualidade dos trabalhos atuais, um grupo de pesquisadores se reuniram em 2017 e construíram um documento manifesto que acabou de ser publicado no British Medical Journal “Evidence Based Medicine Manifesto for Better Health Care” [2]. O Documento é uma iniciativa para a melhoria da qualidade das evidências em saúde. Nele se discute as possíveis causas da pouca confiabilidade científica e são apresentadas algumas alternativas para a correção do atual cenário. Segundo seus autores, os problemas estão presentes nas diferentes fases da pesquisa:Fases da elaboração dos objetivos - Objetivos inúteis. Muito do que é produzido não tem impacto científico nem clínico. Isso porque os pesquisadores estão mais interessados em produzir um número grande de artigos do que gerar conhecimento. Quase 85% dos trabalhos não geram nenhum benefício direto a humanidade.Fase do delineamento do estudo - Estudos com amostras subdimensionados, que não previnem erros aleatórios. Métodos que não previnem erros sistemáticos (viés na escolha das amostras, falta de randomização correta, viés de confusão, desfechos muito abertos). Em torno de 35% dos pesquisadores assumem terem construídos seus métodos de maneira enviesada.Fase de análise dos dados - Trinta e cinco por cento dos pesquisadores assumem práticas inadequadas no momento de análise dos dados. Muitos assumem que durante esse processo realizam várias análises simultaneamente, e as que apresentam significância estatística são transformadas em objetivos no trabalho. As revistas também têm sua parcela de culpa nesse processo já que os trabalhos com resultados positivos são mais aceitos (2x mais) que trabalhos com resultados negativos.Fase de revisão do trabalho - Muitos revisores de saúde não foram treinados para reconhecer potenciais erros sistemáticos e aleatórios nos trabalhos.Em suma é necessário que pesquisadores e revistas científicas pensem nisso. Só assim, teremos evidências de maior qualidade, estimativas estatísticas adequadas, pensamento crítico e analítico desenvolvido e prevenção dos mais comuns vieses cognitivos do pensamento.

scholarly journals Publication by association: how the COVID-19 pandemic has shown relationships between authors and editorial board members in the field of infectious diseases

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjebm-2021-111670
Author(s):  
Clara Locher ◽  
David Moher ◽  
Ioana Alina Cristea ◽  
Florian Naudet
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Evidence Based Medicine ◽  
Medical Community ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Ripple Effect ◽  
New Type ◽  
Based Medicine

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rush to scientific and political judgements on the merits of hydroxychloroquine was fuelled by dubious papers which may have been published because the authors were not independent from the practices of the journals in which they appeared. This example leads us to consider a new type of illegitimate publishing entity, ‘self-promotion journals’ which could be deployed to serve the instrumentalisation of productivity-based metrics, with a ripple effect on decisions about promotion, tenure and grant funding, but also on the quality of manuscripts that are disseminated to the medical community and form the foundation of evidence-based medicine.

scholarly journals Do Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Diabetes Mellitus Fulfill the Criteria of Evidence-Based Guideline Development?

2008 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 1872-1882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Nagy ◽  
Joseph Watine ◽  
Peter S Bunting ◽  
Rita Onody ◽  
Wytze P Oosterhuis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Guideline Development ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Therapeutic Guidelines ◽  
Therapeutic Recommendations ◽  
Evidence Based Guideline

Abstract Background: Although the methodological quality of therapeutic guidelines (GLs) has been criticized, little is known regarding the quality of GLs that make diagnostic recommendations. Therefore, we assessed the methodological quality of GLs providing diagnostic recommendations for managing diabetes mellitus (DM) and explored several reasons for differences in quality across these GLs. Methods: After systematic searches of published and electronic resources dated between 1999 and 2007, 26 DM GLs, published in English, were selected and scored for methodological quality using the AGREE Instrument. Subgroup analyses were performed based on the source, scope, length, origin, and date and type of publication of GLs. Using a checklist, we collected laboratory-specific items within GLs thought to be important for interpretation of test results. Results: The 26 diagnostic GLs had significant shortcomings in methodological quality according to the AGREE criteria. GLs from agencies that had clear procedures for GL development, were longer than 50 pages, or were published in electronic databases were of higher quality. Diagnostic GLs contained more preanalytical or analytical information than combined (i.e., diagnostic and therapeutic) recommendations, but the overall quality was not significantly different. The quality of GLs did not show much improvement over the time period investigated. Conclusions: The methodological shortcomings of diagnostic GLs in DM raise questions regarding the validity of recommendations in these documents that may affect their implementation in practice. Our results suggest the need for standardization of GL terminology and for higher-quality, systematically developed recommendations based on explicit guideline development and reporting standards in laboratory medicine.

scholarly journals Low-Intensity Electromagnetic Millimeter Waves for Pain Therapy

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taras I. Usichenko ◽  
Hardy Edinger ◽  
Vasyl V. Gizhko ◽  
Christian Lehmann ◽  
Michael Wendt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Relief ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Rapid Onset ◽  
Acupuncture Points ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Review Criteria

Millimeter wave therapy (MWT), a non-invasive complementary therapeutic technique is claimed to possess analgesic properties. We reviewed the clinical studies describing the pain-relief effect of MWT. Medline-based search according to review criteria and evaluation of methodological quality of the retrieved studies was performed. Of 13 studies, 9 of them were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), only three studies yielded more than 3 points on the Oxford scale of methodological quality of RCTs. MWT was reported to be effective in the treatment of headache, arthritic, neuropathic and acute postoperative pain. The rapid onset of pain relief during MWT lasting hours to days after, remote to the site of exposure (acupuncture points), was the most characteristic feature in MWT application for pain relief. The most commonly used parameters of MWT were the MW frequencies between 30 and 70 GHz and power density up to 10 mW cm−2. The promising results from pilot case series studies and small-size RCTs for analgesic/hypoalgesic effects of MWT should be verified in large-scale RCTs on the effectiveness of this treatment method.

scholarly journals Evidence based medicine? Access to information & medicines regulation in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Amy Hill
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Regulatory Regime ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
The World ◽  
Medicines Regulation ◽  
Based Medicine

<p>This paper explores one very important issue in the regulatory regime for medicines in New Zealand and around the world- the deficit of information about medicines available to doctors, patients and independent researchers. Much of the information about safety, efficacy and quality of drugs is held and controlled by pharmaceutical companies and regulators. The public is entitled to this information in full.</p>

scholarly journals Incentives and Support Programs to Improve Adherence to Tuberculosis Treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Wells ◽  
Melissa Severn
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Clinical Effectiveness ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Active Tuberculosis ◽  
Tuberculosis Treatment ◽  
Support Programs ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Guidelines

Three overviews of reviews and 11 systematic reviews were identified regarding the clinical effectiveness of adherence incentives in those who require assistance to complete their tuberculosis treatment. Four evidence-based guidelines were identified that provided recommendations regarding the use of adherence incentives in those who require assistance completing their tuberculosis treatment. The reported clinical effectiveness of adherence incentives for patients with tuberculosis was mixed. There were no detrimental effects of providing incentives, but there was also no conclusive evidence pointing to a clinical benefit. The overall quality of the included reviews was moderate to high. The included guidelines recommended that incentives and enablers be included as a part of a patient-centred strategy for treatment and for patients with active tuberculosis or patients at high risk; however, the evidence formulating these recommendations was of low certainty or quality. Two of the included guidelines were of high methodological quality, and 2 were of lower methodological quality.

scholarly journals Humanização da assistência de enfermagem em uma unidade de internação obstétrica

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natália Chantal Magalhães Da Silva ◽  
Ludmila De Oliveira Ruela ◽  
Zélia Marilda Rodrigues Resck ◽  
Maria Betânia Tinti De Andrade ◽  
Eliana Peres Rocha Carvalho Leite ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Nursing Care ◽  
Nursing Staff ◽  
Prospective Data ◽  
Hospital Unit ◽  
Strategic Actions ◽  
Normal Birth ◽  
Quantitative Descriptive

Resumo: O estudo objetivou verificar o atendimento prestado pela equipe de enfermagem durante o trabalho de parto e parto. Optou-se pelo método quantitativo, descritivo, transversal e prospectivo. A coleta de dados foi realizada no período de maio a junho de 2011, abrangendo uma amostra de 30 puérperas de parto normal. Os resultados evidenciam que algumas atividades ainda estão em discordância com o que é recomendado pelo Programa de Humanização. É necessário o desenvolvimento de ações estratégicas, buscando a melhoria da qualidade da assistência que ainda se encontra aquém das expectativas.Palavras-chave: Enfermagem; Humanização da assistência; Parto.Humanization Nursing Care in a Hospital Unit ObstetricalAbstrat:The study aimed to verify the care provided by nursing staff during labor and birth. We chose the method quantitative, descriptive, crosssectional and prospective. Data collection was conducted from May to June 2011, covering a sample of 30 mothers of normal birth. The results show that some activities are still in disagreement with what is recommended by the Humanization Program. It requires the development of strategic actions, seeking to improve the quality of care that is still below expectations.Keywords: Nursing; Humanization of assistance; Childbirth.Humanización de la Atención de Enfermería en una Unidad Hospitalaria ObstétricaResumen: El estudio tuvo como objetivo verificar la atención recibida por el personal de enfermería durante el parto y el nacimiento. Elegimos el método cuantitativo, descriptivo, transversal y prospectivo. La recolección de datos se llevó a cabo entre mayo y junio de 2011, que abarcó una muestra de 30 madres de nacimiento normal. Los resultados muestran que algunas actividades aún están en desacuerdo con lo que es recomendado por lo Programa de Humanización. Se requiere el desarrollo de acciones estratégicas, que buscan mejorar la calidad de la atención que todavía está debajo de las expectativas.Palabras clave: Enfermería; Humanización de la asistencia; Parto.

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