One of the 15 articles for my study is the research conducted by Mamun & Lim (2009) in Singapore entitled Association between falls and high-risk medication use in hospitalized Asian elderly patients. Below are the answers to three questions taken from Fineout-Overholt et al.’s Critical Appraisal Guide for Quantitative Studies.
What is the sample size?
The sample size is 596 patients. This is divided into 298 fallers and 298 non-fallers. The fallers were 65 years old and above (their average age was 75.8) and majority of them were male (60%). Those who experienced at least one fall during their stay in the hospital were considered a faller. A fall was also defined as “an event where an individual came to rest on the ground or surface lower than his or her original station” (Mamun & Lim, 2009, p. 277). A control group numbering 298 patients was likewise identified by the researchers. They used the hospital admission database to locate patients who matched in age and sex and were also admitted during the same period as the fallers but who did not experience any fall.
How were the data analyzed?
The researchers compared the demographic characteristics of the fallers and non-fallers. The article included a table showing such information. For the data analysis, the researchers made use of SPSS v. 12.0. They utilized logistic regression for the multivariate analysis of the data.
References
Fineout-Overholt, E., Melnyk, B.M., Stillwell, S.B. & Williamson, K.M. (2010). Critical appraisal of the evidence: Part 1. American Journal of Nursing, 110 (7): 47-52.
Mamun, K. & Lim, JKH. (2009). Association between falls and high-risk medication use in hospitalized Asian elderly patients. Geriatrics Gerontology International, 9: 276-281. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0594.2009.00533.x.
