Health-Related Professions

Studying A Study and Testing a Test: Reading Evidence-Based Health

Name: Studying A Study and Testing a Test: Reading Evidence-Based Health
Author: Richard K. Riegelman
ISBN: 9780781774260

by Richard K. Riegelman

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Overview

Ideal for clinical students including medical, nursing, pharmacy, dental, physician assistant and more!

Evidence-based information plays a critical role in clinical practice decisions. Secondary sources are often unreliable; it’s up to the student, then, to critically assess peer-reviewed research literature. Using a highly structured yet accessible method, this best-selling text teaches students to critically analyze research from primary sources.

Step-by-step approach– learn to recognize a meaningful study, clues to potential study flaws, and ways to apply solid evidence in clinical practice

Simple 6-point framework– learn to evaluate studies in terms of the author’s trademark mnemonic device, M.A.A.R.I.E. (Methods, Assignment, Assessment, Results, Interpretation and Extrapolation)

Unique Learning Aids - question checklists, real-world scenarious, flaw-catching exercises and more help to make complex concepts easy to grasp

New!

New chapters cover safety, prediction and decision rules, and translating research into practice
“Learn More” boxes illustrate key concepts
Clinically oriented “Mini-Studies” demonstrate what can go wrong and how to get it right
Research topics include ethics, the role of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), and advances in randomized controlled trials and observational studies

FREE Online Support! (with the purchase of the book)

For Students:

Interactive Q&A for every chapter
M.A.A.R.I.E. framework and flaw-catching exercises
Chapter objectives
Flash Card interactive glossary

For Faculty:

All of the student resources plus:

Instructor’s guide with “tips on teaching” based on Dr. Riegelman’s 30+ years of teaching from the text
Syllabus suggestions for applying the text in semester-long courses, mini-courses, and as part of Journal Clubs
Powerpoints designed to assist lectures
Class-tested exam questions for each chapter

Synopsis

Ideal for clinical students including medical, nursing, pharmacy, dental, physician assistant and more! Evidence-based information plays a critical role in clinical practice decisions. Secondary sources are often unreliable; it’s up to the student, then, to critically assess peer-reviewed research literature. Using a highly structured yet accessible method, this best-selling text teaches students to critically analyze research from primary sources. Step-by-step approach– learn to recognize a meaningful study, clues to potential study flaws, and ways to apply solid evidence in clinical practice Simple 6-point framework– learn to evaluate studies in terms of the author’s trademark mnemonic device, M.A.A.R.I.E. (Methods, Assignment, Assessment, Results, Interpretation and Extrapolation)

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Editorials

Reviewer: Kathleen M Tharp, PhD, MPH, RD(University of Iowa College of Public Health)
Description: This is the sixth edition of a guide to reading evidence-based health research. The previous update was published in 2005.
Purpose: The MAARIE (Method, Assignment, Assessment, Results, Interpretation, Extrapolation) framework is used to evaluate strengths and limitations of a study and put them into perspective. The author succeeds in making research more relevant to practice by succinctly explaining the aspects of study design and statistical analysis that are most useful to practitioners.
Audience: The book is intended for use as a textbook as well as a reference. While the examples are mostly clinical in nature, a public health practitioner would also find the material relevant. The author, Dr. Richard Riegelman, is the founding dean of George Washington School of Public Health and Health Services and a professor in epidemiology and biostatistics, medicine, and health policy.
Features: The studying a study portion of the book uses the MAARIE framework to compare studies of several designs: ecological, case-control, cohort, randomized controlled trial, and meta-analysis. It efficiently summarizes information on sampling, statistical power, and confounding. The testing a test section explains a variety of statistical tests and how to determine the appropriateness of each. An entire chapter is devoted to cost-effectiveness. Also covered are sensitivity testing, subgroup analyses, and how to score the evidence. Due to the heavy focus on statistics, the book primarily covers quantitative data and only briefly mentions qualitative methods or data. An online companion site is offered that features an eBook, learning objectives, and an interactive question bank. PowerPoints are also available for instructors.
Assessment: This book effectively summarizes a wide variety of information from epidemiology and biostatistics in an easy-to-understand manner. Tables, figures, and mini-studies are liberally interspersed to provide multiple methods for explaining the information. Overall, the book is an excellent source of relevant information for practitioners to keep at their fingertips. The book is not an in-depth education in any one area of study methods or statistics, but does provide an introduction for novices or a helpful refresher for seasoned professionals.