INTRO TO RESEARCH

• Research methodology and evidence-based practice are fundamental concepts in healthcare.
• Research is a logical and systematic search for new and useful information on a particular topic, with the ultimate purpose of maximizing the effectiveness of practice.
• Research methods include theoretical procedures, experimental studies, numerical schemes, statistical approaches, etc., which are the procedures by which researchers go about their work of describing, explaining, and predicting phenomena.
• Research methodology is the study of methods by which knowledge is gained, how research is to be carried out to systematically solve a problem.
• Step 5 and 6 of the research process involve evaluating performance.
• Step 4 of the research process involves incorporating information and decision into clinical practice.
• Clinical judgement should be used to determine the appropriate combination of the reviewed studies.
• Searching for studies can be challenging, but using search engines and relevant databases can help narrow down the results.
• Step 2 of the research process involves searching for relevant studies, which can be done using various search engines and relevant databases.
• Step 3 of the research process involves critical appraisal, which involves checking for applicability, general appraisal questions, and synthesizing the findings.
• Research question, research design, inclusion and exclusion criteria, search engines and relevant databases, searching hacks, and factors to consider are all part of the research process.
• Quantitative research aims to get numerical data, uses standardized conditions, and applies statistics and mathematics, presented in tables and graphs, making it conclusive.
• Qualitative research aims to gain deep understanding of the phenomenon, uses open-ended questions, interviews, and observations, and does not apply statistics or mathematics, presented in narrative form.
• Basic research aims to obtain empirical data, solve practical problems, is done in laboratories, and seeks generalization, studying individual or specific cases without the objective to generalize.
• Evidence-based rehabilitation (EBR) maintains a fine balance between clinical expertise and external clinical evidence.
• Case example: Mr Y is 43 years old and presents with low back pain of relatively acute onset (about 2 weeks) with pain radiating down his left leg.
• Evidence-based practice (EBP) involves tracking down the best external evidence with which to answer clinical questions.
• The problem has arisen during a period of heavy lifting at work and has become progressively worse over subsequent days.
• The EBP process involves converting clinical questions into answerable questions, tracking down the best evidence to answer them, critically appraising evidence for validity and usefulness, integrating evidence with clinical expertise and applying it in practice, and evaluating performance.
• Mr Y was then referred to you for treatment to relieve his pain and restore physical functioning.
• Mr Y’s general practitioner prescribed analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs and bed rest for 5 days, but this brought little improvement.
• Mr Y has no apparent neurological deficits.
• Applied research attempts to explain why things happen, tries to say how things can be changed, reports in technical language of the topic, and reports in common language.
• Translational Research is a type of applied research that aims to bridge the gap between basic research and applied research.
• Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) emerged for a better way to make clinical decisions and is the birth of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and Evidence-Based Practice (EBP).
• Evidence-Based Practice states that external clinical evidence can inform, but can never replace, individual clinical expertise, and it is the expertise that decides whether the external evidence applies to the individual patient at all and how it should be integrated into a clinical decision.
• Application of scientific findings into relevant issues is a component of research.
• Evidence-Based Practice integrates individual clinical evidence from systemic research.
• Components of research include selection of research topic, definition of a research problem, literature survey and reference collection, assessment of current status of topic chosen, formulation of hypotheses, research design, actual investigation, data analysis, and interpretation of results.
• Non-experimental research involves descriptive and exploratory research and does not observe phenomenon.
• Evidence-Based Practice states that evidence based physiotherapy is physiotherapy informed by relevant, high quality clinical research.
• Generating scientific questions is a component of research.
• Evidence-Based Practice is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.
• Experimental research involves manipulation of one or more variables and observes phenomenon.
• If Y’s aim is to improve his functional capacity, he should be advised to stay active, not rest in bed.
• The probability that the problem will resolve by itself within a month is unknown.
• Y has no apparent neurological deficits.
• Y feels most comfortable staying in bed or returning to work.
• Y is 43 years old and presents with low back pain of relatively acute onset, about 2 weeks, with pain radiating down his left leg.
• Heavy lifting is not the cause of this man’s problem.