The health care sector uses many resources conducting studies and tests to determine the suitability of different discoveries to improve the quality of health care. The use of evidence-based practice, research and development plays a critical role in clinical decision-making. Carrying out a research critique assists in determining the credibility and validity of each study regarding meeting the expected benefits. The following paper provides an analytical review of an article by Majid, Foo et al. (2011) on adopting the evidence-based practice in clinical decision making: nurses' perception, knowledge, and barriers. The critical analysis focuses on the problem statement, the purpose of the study, literature review, and the theoretical framework.
The research critique
Problem statement
The problem statement of any research helps in defining the primary reason for conducting the study. It also identifies problems solved by the study. Majid, Foo, Luyt et al. (2011) did a marvelous job to ensure the reader understands the main issue addressed by the research. The article introduces the reader to primary problems affecting nurses and healthcare professionals today. The identification of these issues helps in highlighting key issues that the study aims to test without visiting study objectives. Moreover, the study's problem statement is also useful because it provides recommendations that the authors thought would be the most suitable for dealing with the problem studied. On the other hand, the authors of the article try to compare traditional health care practices with the modern evidence-based practices to determine nurses’ perceptions when it comes to decision-making processes. The following comparison plays a major role in enabling the readers to understand the problem addressed by the study and the study gaps.
However, the reader takes a long time to identify the main problem being analyzed by the article because the information given in the introduction to the research is not adequate to make the reader understand all concepts studied in the study. Additionally, the format used to write the article does not conform to the normal standards. A good research should highlight various sections for easier reading and understanding.
Purpose of the study
A good research must have objectives, goals, and missions. The objectives of the following article are well presented. Authors start by defining the research objectives, which explains the purpose of the study. According to Majid, Foo, Luyt, et al. (2011), the purpose of the study was to test nurses’ knowledge, perceptions, and barriers to gathering scientifically-proven evidence for delivering quality care to the society. The objective was to explore nurses' awareness of the evidence-based practice and determine factors that create barriers to the adaptation of evidence-based practice. The study objectives lead the reader directly to understand the purpose of the study. However, the paper does not highlight main goals and specific objectives to make the reader have a broader view of the major issues discussed in the main report.
The article has a limitation because it provides the information about the purpose of the study in the abstract and not in the main body. The abstract acts as a summary of the information and cannot fully validate the purpose of the research. Additionally, most of the introductory part deal with the problem being discussed and touches a little on the purpose. The article also sets aside a section on highlights and implications. It would be advisable for authors consider adding one or two paragraphs describing the aims of the study and research questions that the study wishes to answer.
Literature review
The literature review relates well to the topic. Majid, Foo, Luyt, et al. (2011) conducted a literature review by determining difficulties encountered by other studies while investigating nurse's perceptions, knowledge, and barriers to the adoption of evidence-based practice in clinical decision making. Ideas gathered in the literature review are fully applied in the main research to fill all gaps identified in the problem statement. Additionally, the authors have tried to use literature from most recent sources from the time the research was done, which is commendable. Moreover, most of the reviews are from primary sources making the information more valid and reliable. However, the organization of the literature review is not logic. The article has no separate part that tells defining the literature review. Authors keep on stating "some studies , several authors " instead of providing the particular individuals or organizations that conducted these studies. The literature review should clearly state the author of the article reviewed, the main issue addressed, and the results achieved. Writers should use the above information to establish the research gaps and develop a conceptual framework to help in filling these gaps.
Theoretical framework
The article did not utilize a theoretical framework. During the introduction of the article, key concepts of the research are quickly noticed, and writers try to relate some evidence to theories. However, the article does not use any theory to explain the phenomenon. In the results analysis section, the article describes some beliefs and attitudes identified by nurses during the data collection process. Additionally, the authors identify supporting factors that promote adoption of evidence-based practice. The information identified would be adequately presented if the authors used a theoretical framework to link the purpose of the study with objectives and expected results. Moreover, the study was based on predictions and assumptions that guarantee the use of the theoretical framework.
References
Majid, S., Foo, S., Luyt, B., Zhang, X., Theng, Y.-L., Chang, Y.-K., & Mokhtar, I. A. (2011).
Adopting evidence-based practice in clinical decision making: nurses’ perceptions, knowledge, and barriers. Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA, 99(3), 229–236. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133901/
