Generally, the aspect of research appraisal plays a key role in research work. Basically, a critical appraisal helps in identifying the weaknesses, strengths and understanding the entire content of the research (Bannon,McGaughey,Clarke,McAuley & Blackwood 2016, p.90).The content revealed in the paper shows a critical appraisal for two articles. All the two articles help in analyzing the research carried out in the field of public health. The first article is Guilcher et al. (2016) which describes research on gambling and homelessness which have become a huge problem in public health. The second article is the Weetra et al. (2016) which shows research on Aboriginal families that investigated experiences of mothers having Aboriginal babies in South Australia.
Tool selection
In order to analyze the two articles, the discussion has utilized the CASP and STARD critical appraisal tool (Cope 2014, p.86). The CASP tool analyses the qualitative research while the STARD tool handles the quantitative research. CASP tool has been selected because it aims to help individuals to develop adequate skills that will assist in building the research evidence. On another hand the STARD tool has been selected because it will assist in improving the transparency of the research. The tool contains different items that can be used as checklist by readers to ensure all the research related problems have adequate information. When analyzing the quantitative research there are various appraisal tools which must be used. The critical appraisal tool used in quantitative research are; meta-analysis, systematic review, the randomized control trial commonly known as (RCT), the cohort study, case-control study, the longitudinal study and lastly the quasi-experimental study procedure (Crowe,Sheppard & Campbell 2012,p.54).Health On another hand, the critical appraisal tool for the qualitative research will analyze parts such as ; the semi-structured interview, observational study analysis, documental analysis, the narrative analysis, understanding the focus groups and unstructured interview (Grove,Burns & Gray 2012, p.51).
Critical appraisal of the qualitative article
(a). Critical appraisal for the case study using the CASP tool.
The critical appraisal uses the Critical Appraisal Skills Programmes tool which is commonly known as the (CASP).Guilcher et al. (2016) indicates qualitative research on the problem of gambling and homelessness which have been identified as an important public health concern. The research used is the case study design which includes events that have been studied in different methods. The article reveals how the impacts of gambling and homelessness have impacted families and the entire society (Heyvaert, Hannes,Maes & Onghena 2013,p.84).The research aimed in analyzing the experiences in health and social spheres. The problem of gambling and homelessness is a public domain especially to men in Toronto, Ontario. In order to analyze the research topic, then critical appraisal tools on qualitative research were used. The tools used assisted in revealing the major objectives, analyzing the methodological steps used, discussing the results obtained and summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of the research.
(b).Appraising the article using the CASP tool.
The following questions and procedures show the summarized CASP tool that is used to analyze the article. The CASP tool helps in analyzing the relevance of the research and analyze the strengths and weaknesses associated with the research. All the questions have been answered to give clear guidance thus helping in understanding the entire article (Hoare & Hoe 2013, p.21).The CASP tool helps in appraising the article by following the questions mentioned at every paragraph.
Guilcher et al. (2016) starts by indicating the research objective and the aim. The research starts by accepting the fact that gambling and homelessness are major issues that have affected families, communities and society at large (Hoe & Hoare 2012,p.43).The aim of the research is to analyze how the problem of gambling and housing problems have affected the men in Toronto, Ontario. Generally, the issue of gambling has been identified as a common leisure activity for many people. There are individuals who are more vulnerable to gambling behavior. When someone incurs no gain in gambling activities there are significant problems such as family problems, educational or employment crisis as well as financial hardships and sometimes housing inabilities or homelessness. Men in Toronto are believed to have associated themselves in gambling activities thus more vulnerable to experiencing the negative characteristics mentioned in the article (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber 2014, p.90).
In order to analyze the rationale of the study, it’s good to discuss the key strengths used in the study. By using the CASP tool the research appreciates the problem of gambling and investigates the major issue inappropriate manner. There is recognition of the gambling problem in society and that’s why the participants tried to use the research in order to come up with an apt solution.
The method of data collection was not appropriate. This is because the research only interviewed 30 participants who were all men (LoBiondo-Wood,Haber,Berry & Yost 2013,p.75).The aim of the research was to get the reason on why the issue of gambling and housing inability has become an issue in health care but the researchers failed on the method of data collection. The data revealed gave results which describe the effects experienced by a small number but not the entire population. Interviewing 30 participants is a small number and the results can’t be compared with a big population of men in Toronto.
All the information regarding to the results has been clearly indicated in the research. The procedure indicates the strengths of the research (Lockwood,Munn & Porritt 2015, p.21).The research tried to explore the health and social services that were believed to have a long history in gambling and housing inabilities in Toronto. All the results and findings have been analyzed and a systematic recommendation process has been analyzed in the article. The results tend to highlight the importance of the person-centered engagement which included compassion, empathy, and empowerment for men. All the characteristics obtained in the person-centered engagement builds the healthcare concern for those individuals with complex in health and social needs.
Use of data coding and analysis processes indicates how the data was clearly handled in the research. The information obtained in the research was recorded for future use.There is also a focused code whereby each team recorded different details. The coding activities were to ensure all themes on the paper are correctly handled and interpreted (Newton, Rothlingova,Gutteridge,LeMarchand & Raphael 2012, p.56).
The paper shows that the how the research on gambling and homelessness aspects faced the men in Toronto. The paper is a series of the problem in gambling and hosing inabilities in societies. There was semi-structured research which included qualitative interviews with the men who were highly addicted to gambling activities as well as the problems of housing instability. In order to handle the interviews, men used in the research were to fill the descriptive questionnaires that included different virtues such as the collection on data regarding the socio-demographic factors, the mental health research results, and information regarding to the gambling activities. The research also had a collaborative approach whereby there was Good Shepherd Ministry of Toronto which assisted in the overall research study thus helping in data analysis and dissemination process (Sandelowski 2015,p.56).There were also the peer interviews which assisted in conducting qualitative interviews thus giving adequate data needed in the data analysis approach.
Assessment for the qualitative research (case study).
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The criteria |
Yes |
No |
Other |
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1. Is the aim of the study stated? |
Yes |
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2. Is the rationale of study properly used in the qualitative research? |
No |
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3. Was the method of data collection appropriate? |
Yes |
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4. Does the study indicate the information on the results obtained? |
Yes |
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5. Is the recording of the data retrievable? |
Yes |
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What are the methods of data analysis and are they appropriate? |
No |
(a).Critical appraisal for survey research
The research described by the authors is the survey research. In order to appraise for the research a STARD tool has been used. The STARD statements were introduced to improve the transparency and completeness of the research. The research has revealed the key aspects which can be explained by using the STARD appraisal critical tool. In order to appraise the research the following chronological procedures have been identified.
Weetra et al. (2016) show how quantitative research on the population-based study was conducted. The study involved a survey for Aboriginal Families which targeted to study the Aboriginal baby in in South Australia. The disparities arising from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait have raised a major issue in Australia (Singh 2013, p.43). The Aboriginal Australians are associated with mental problems, have high rates of suicide and also prone to chronic disease. The research was to analyze the stressful events and health issues which faced the women when pregnant.
Item 2. Whether the data collection was planned and reference standards were performed.
The data of participants who gave response on the research questions were reviewed. Through the STARD tool then it shows that data was clearly planned and the references met the necessary standards.
Item 3.The eligibility criteria
The participant’s eligibility included the use of Aboriginal who was facing huge stress than the non-Aboriginal women in South Australia. From the background section, one can easily identify the aim of the article. The objective of the research was to determine the frequency and the stressful events experienced by Aboriginal mothers when pregnant (Tariq & Woodman 2013, p.87).Through objective study then one identifies the research eligibility.
Item 4.On what basis were the potentially eligible participants identified.
The data revealed that more than 75% of the Aboriginal mothers faced a lot of stress compared with the non-Aboriginal population in the area. The criteria show those participants who were used but the study fails in describing how the authors identified the participants.
Item 5. The rationale for using a reference standard body in the research.
Generally in healthcare research a reference standard is always used .The standard helps in developing a target condition for the participants in the research. The research uses the Australian Study Board that acted as the reference standards. The consultation process revealed the women emotions and their social concerns on what was happening to them during pregnancy (Tondeur,Van,Sang,Voogt, Fisser & Ottenbreit-Leftwich 2012,p.76). Most of the women used in the study were recruited via the maternity centers, around the Aboriginal community controlled centers and also from the community events and community organizations. All the women who were interested to participate were to fill structured interviews that indicated the age for the baby
Basically, missing data is common in most of the research worker. There are different ways in which missing data can be handled. Different author’s uses different methods for handling missing data in research work. Some of the researchers will tend to exclude the participants who did not indicate any observed virtues depending on the research topic.Out of the 418 women used in the study only 348 women who gave complete reports and information on healthcare issues with their distress (Tong,Flemming,McInnes,Oliver & Craig 2017,p.45).The number which was interviewed gave different information regarding the topic of the research. The characteristics of the women who were satisfied with the stressful experience were recorded in the tables as indicated in the research article. Also, the frequency of the stressful events was also identified and social health results recorded as indicated in the research article. All the results were grouped depending on the number of women experiencing stressful events and health issues during pregnancy.
The article reveals the ethical weaknesses which were experienced throughout the study. The committee used was not approved by the research authorities on health care issues. Although there was consent for the participants used, the issue of ethical aspects was not keenly met. Also, there is an increasingly high rate of social health problems in the areas indicated a failure in addressing ethical practices. There were no interviews on why the Aboriginal was facing the huge stress than the non-Aboriginal women in South Australia (Tong,Flemming, McInnes,Oliver & Craig 2012,p.54).
The STARD assessment tool for the research (survey research).
|
Appraisal questions |
Yes |
Other (N/A) |
No |
|
Item 1. Were the objectives of the research mentioned? |
Yes |
||
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Item 2. Was data collection planned and reference standards performed. |
N/A |
||
|
Item 3. Was the eligibility criteria for the study indicated. |
Yes |
||
|
Item 4.On what basis were the potentially eligible participants identified. |
N/A |
||
|
Item 5. Is there rationale for using a reference standard body in the research? |
Yes |
||
|
Item 6.Is there criteria used for handling the missing data? |
No |
||
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Item 7.Was there a procedure used for analyzing the ethics of the research? |
N/A |
Ethical issues
The two articles have indicated different ethical practices that are necessary for social development. Weetra et al. (2016) show the recommendations on how to check on the social health problems affecting the Aboriginal families. Eliminating the approaches which cause personal distress serves as the key pathway for caring to pregnant mothers. The research highlights on the need for using high-quality clinical care aspects in public health thus inducing antenatal care that will help in modifying risks associated with poor maternal processes (Tong et al. 2017, p.145).Also, the article has revealed on the need to pay more attention to the problems facing society such as family abuse and other social disadvantages which should be avoided within society. All the communities should care for other people regardless of any deviations. There also need to induce the implementation programs that will work to control the problems experienced by the maternal women in society.
On another hand, Guiltier et al. (2016) have also given recommendations on the issue of gambling and homelessness. The article indicates the key recommendation that is useful for society. Some of the recommendation given in the research was;
There was a need to create awareness on the effects of gambling in society. Awareness is the key aspect that will reduce gambling and housing inability challenges experienced by men in Toronto. Also, there is a need to increase the availability of any type of integrated services in the society. It is good to raise the integrated services to people addicted to gambling and those who lack homes (Zitomer & Goodwin 2014,p.65).The findings emphasizes integrated approaches thus helping to solve multiple complex social and health challenges experienced by men. In addition, it is good to provide a stepped care approach in the community. Through the communication training processes, the society will be in a position to identify the negative impacts resulting from the gambling activities. Training individuals will help in reducing personal stigma and also self-judgment which may result during their interactions with their providers as described in the article. Also communicating on the appropriate corrective measures will be good in controlling the negative impacts resulting from the gambling activities by the men. All the men interviewed shows there is a need to educate the society on the diverse effects of gambling and housing inability in the society.
From the two articles, one can identify a number of strengths and weaknesses. Some of the strengths identified in the articles include the use of appropriate data collection measures. The two articles used appropriate data collection strategies that helped in analyzing the major topic of the research (Zitomer & Goodwin 2014, p.165).All the results and discussion were done accordingly. The representation of data in tables and the use of correct calculation techniques show the correct representation of research work.
On accounting for the weaknesses there were a number of issues which revealed the failure of the two articles. The findings obtained do not indicate the necessary generalization of the results in the research. The research mostly targeted the culprit but not the other part of the population. The qualitative article was concerned on the section of the population and that’s why a small number of participants were interviewed. The study has not indicated the decisions from the women and this shows a limitation on the study (Flemming,Graham,Heirs,Fox & Sowden 2013,p.75).The research article also shows the research was done on men leaving in greatest areas of Toronto. The research has failed in extending the same work to different geographical areas but it has only concentrated on the urban centers. The work was not extended to other sites for comparison thus revealing a weakness in the research. In qualitative research, women gave different responses. Most of the women responded positively and that’s why a large number of results indicated positive themes. This was contrary to the research topic since there was no adequate data for research (Shelton,Smith & Mort 2014,p.21).Also, the research failed to use the sampling technique to get the simplified data on the research topic. The non-Aboriginal women were not ready to share any information and that’s why there was no much guidance on designing apt results. Those old women could not give information appropriately thus indicating research weakness.
References
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Crowe, M., Sheppard, L. and Campbell, A., 2012. Reliability analysis for a proposed critical appraisal tool demonstrated value for diverse research designs. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 65(4), pp.375-383.
Grove, S.K., Burns, N. and Gray, J., 2012. The practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Heyvaert, M., Hannes, K., Maes, B. and Onghena, P., 2013. Critical appraisal of mixed methods studies. Journal of mixed methods research, 7(4), pp.302-327.
Hoare, Z. and Hoe, J., 2013. Understanding quantitative research: Part 2. Nursing Standard, 27(18), pp.48-55.
Hoe, J. and Hoare, Z., 2012. Understanding quantitative research: Part 1. Nursing Standard (through 2013), 27(15-17), p.52.
LoBiondo-Wood, G. and Haber, J., 2014. Health Research-E-Book: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-Based Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.
LoBiondo-Wood, G., Haber, J., Berry, C. and Yost, J., 2013. Study Guide for Nursing Research-E-Book: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-Based Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Lockwood, C., Munn, Z. and Porritt, K., 2015. Qualitative research synthesis: methodological guidance for systematic reviewers utilizing meta-aggregation. International journal of evidence-based healthcare, 13(3), pp.179-187.
Newton, B.J., Rothlingova, Z., Gutteridge, R., LeMarchand, K. and Raphael, J.H., 2012. No room for reflexivity? Critical reflections following a systematic review of qualitative research. Journal of Health Psychology, 17(6), pp.866-885.
Sandelowski, M., 2015. A matter of taste: evaluating the quality of qualitative research. Nursing inquiry, 22(2), pp.86-94.
Singh, J., 2013.Critical appraisal skills programme. Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, 4(1), p.76.
Tariq, S. and Woodman, J., 2013.Using mixed methods in health research. JRSM short reports, 4(6), p.2042533313479197.
Tondeur, J., Van Braak, J., Sang, G., Voogt, J., Fisser, P. and Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A., 2012. Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology in education: A synthesis of qualitative evidence. Computers & Education, 59(1), pp.134-144.
Tong, A., Flemming, K., McInnes, E., Oliver, S. and Craig, J., 2012. Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research: ENTREQ. BMC medical research methodology, 12(1), p.181.
Tong, A., Flemming, K., McInnes, E., Oliver, S. and Craig, J., 2017. Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research: ENTREQ. BMC medical research methodology, 12(1), p.181.
Zitomer, M.R. and Goodwin, D., 2014. Gauging the quality of qualitative research in adapted physical activity. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 31(3), pp.193-218.
Flemming, K., Graham, H., Heirs, M., Fox, D. and Sowden, A., 2013. Smoking in pregnancy: a systematic review of qualitative research of women who commence pregnancy as smokers. Journal of advanced nursing, 69(5), pp.1023-1036.
Shelton, C.L., Smith, A.F. and Mort, M., 2014. Opening up the black box: an introduction to qualitative research methods in anaesthesia. Anaesthesia, 69(3), pp.270-280.
Cope, D.G., 2014, January. Methods and meanings: credibility and trustworthiness of qualitative research. In Oncology nursing forum (Vol. 41, No. 1).
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