University of Essex

HS602-6-AU-CO:
Developing Critical Appraisal Skills

The details

Year: 2023/24

Department: Health and Social Care (School of)

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Autumn

Level: Undergraduate: Level 6

Status: Current

Start date: Monday 02 October 2023

End date: Friday 08 December 2023

Credits: 30

Last updated: 20 July 2023

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): (none)

Key module for

BSC B900 Health Care Practice

Module description

This module willhelp you to understand basic research concepts and developa range of theoretical and practicalappraisal skillsby taking acritical perspectiveaboutthe wayresearch is designed and undertakenin the 'real world' of evidence-based health and social care practice. You will learn about different typesof research and the kind of evidencethey providebyapplying whatyou learn to your professional practiceto informevidence-based decision making.

Module aims

Evidence-based practice (EBP) approach develops a range of theoretical and practical appraisal skillsthat are applied to student’s own professional practice

Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, the [learner] will be able to:

1.Demonstrateknowledge and critical understanding of theresearch process.

2.Demonstrate understanding of the different approaches (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods).

3.Demonstrate implications for informing practice as part of evidence-based practice (EBP)

4.Undertake a systematic search to identify appropriate evidence to answer a practice-based question

5.Demonstrate understanding of appropriate critical appraisal tools and apply these to identify strengths/weaknesses and sources of methodological bias -including ethics in a variety of research papers

6.Make informed judgements about the implications of different types of evidence for clinical decision making as part of EBP.

Module information

HS602 is worth 30 credits -requiringaround 300 activelearning hoursto develop knowledge and understanding ofmodule topicsand ability toapplypracticalappraisal skills basedon an evidence-based practice (EBP) approach.Taught sessions(recordedand available via ListenAgain)delivered using directed and independentlearningfull details on moodle.

Learning and teaching methods

No information available.

Bibliography

Burck, C. (2005) ‘Comparing qualitative research methodologies for systemic research: the use of grounded theory, discourse analysis and narrative analysis’, Journal of Family Therapy, 27(3), pp. 237–262. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6427.2005.00314.x.
Sawatsky, A.P., Ratelle, J.T. and Beckman, T.J. (2019) ‘Qualitative Research Methods in Medical Education’, Anesthesiology, 131(1), pp. 14–22. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000002728.
Ma, Lin-Lu (2020) ‘Methodological quality (risk of bias) assessment tools for primary and secondary medical studies: what are they and which is better?’, Military Medical Research, 7(1). Available at: https://mmrjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40779-020-00238-8.
Östlund, U. et al. (2011) ‘Combining qualitative and quantitative research within mixed method research designs: A methodological review’, International Journal of Nursing Studies, 48(3), pp. 369–383. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2010.10.005.
Aveyard, H. and Sharp, P. (2017) A Beginner’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practice in Health and Social Care. 3rd edn. London, UK: Open University Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=6212202.
Stillwell, S.B. et al. (2010b) ‘Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step: Searching for the Evidence’, AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 110(5), pp. 41–47. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000372071.24134.7e.
Stillwell, S.B. et al. (2010a) ‘Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step: Asking the Clinical Question’, AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 110(3), pp. 58–61. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000368959.11129.79.
Bennett, S. and Bennett, J.W. (2000) ‘The process of evidence-based practice in occupational therapy: Informing clinical decisions’, Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 47(4), pp. 171–180. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1630.2000.00237.x.
De Brún, C. (2013) ‘Finding the Evidence: A Key Step in the Information Production Process.’ The Information Standard. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/tis/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2014/09/tis-guide-finding-the-evidence-07nov.pdf.
CASP CHECKLISTS - CASP - Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (no date). Available at: https://casp-uk.net/casp-tools-checklists/.
Critical Appraisal tools — Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM), University of Oxford (no date). Available at: https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/resources/ebm-tools/critical-appraisal-tools.
Long, A.F. et al. (2005) ‘HCPRDU Evaluation Tool for “Mixed Methods” Studies’, pp. 1–3. Available at: https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/output/1454734/hcprdu-evaluation-tool-for-mixed-methods-studies.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Deadline	Coursework weighting
Coursework	5,000 word essay		100%

Additional coursework information

100% weighting

Exam format definitions

Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Ms Nameeka Shahid, email: nameeka.shahid@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff: Nestor Asiamah

Contact details: Callum Marshall hsccolapp@essex.ac.uk

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: No

Available to Outside Option: No

Available to Audit: No

External examiner

Name: Dr Lindsay Welch

Institution: University of Southampton

Academic role: Lecturer

Name: Miss Joanne Bartlett

Institution: The Open University

Academic role: Academic Lead/Practice Tutor

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 27 hours, 27 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

Further information

Department website: Health and Social Care (School of)

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Module Directory

HS602-6-AU-CO:Developing Critical Appraisal Skills