Proper Literature Review Example About Appraising The Literature

Elliott, A. M., Smith, B. H., Penny, K., Smith, W. C., & Chambers, W. A. (1999). The epidemiology of chronic pain in the community. The Lancet, 354(9186), 1248–1252. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
This study describes an early epidemiologic study on chronic pain. The authors recognized chronic pain as one of the problems the community faced. The researchers took a study to quantify and describe the distribution of chronic pain in the community. The researchers carried out their study using 5036 patients, who were aged 25 years and above. The study was based in the UK. The survey was carried out using questionnaires that had a variety of questions, which included both personal and general questions. The people sampled were also asked about their cause of pain in their lives.
After receiving 3605 filled questionnaires, the researchers found out that 1817 of the patients examined had chronic pain, which represented about 47% of the entire population. Based on the studies carried out, the researchers identified age, housing tenure, gender, and employment as the key predictors of chronic complications in the society.
Strengths: The research has enabled the people to understand the extent of chronic pain in the community. The article has also identified the major determinant of the chronic pain. The research has given the view of various forms of chronic pain, including back pain and arthritis. The article has given ways of determining chronic pain for effective management. The report has critically analyzed the possibilities of chronic pain.
Weaknesses: The article has failed to obtain all the required data from the sampled patients. If the entire population would have been sampled, may be the number of people with chronic pain would have changed. The research is biased because it only covers the age of 25 years and above, which means that those under the age of 25 are omitted.
Oppenheimer, G. M. (2010). Framingham Heart Study: The first 20 years. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 53(1), 55–61. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
The study is a landmark epidemiologic study that started in the 1940s. The author of the article highlights the history of the Framingham Heart Study and its contribution to population health. The cardiovascular study was carried out in the town of Framingham, Massachusetts. According to the article, the study began in 1948, and it is still ongoing to date. The study was based on infectious disorders. The main reason for the study was to discover cardiovascular disease and its threat to people. The study links cardiovascular disease to an unhealthy diet, obesity, raised blood cholesterol, the effects of tobacco use, physical inactivity, and raised blood pressure. The Framingham Heart Study has shown the relevance of healthy diet and eating healthy foods.
Strengths: This study has created a new perspective of cardiovascular disease. The article has also changed the epidemiology study. It has enabled the development of the multivariate analysis in the biostatistics community. The article is relevant because it highlights coronary heart disease is distributed and its determinants. The study is beneficial because it gives medical professional knowledge on how to apply curb heart diseases. The article has also demonstrated how behavioral alterations in lifestyle may lead to improved cardiovascular outcomes.
Weaknesses: The study lacks a top-down approach to the public health, especially in the United States. The research was conducted on a few people and not the entire town population as it is assumed. Another weakness of the study is that the epidemiological approach used to determine chronic diseases took much time. In addition, there is difficulty in establishing support new research within a community.