Rapid Critical Appraisal

Overview

A careful analysis of the evidence presented begins with an introduction, continues with a critique of the given source, and concludes with recommendations for practice. Critically appraising the evidence involves reviewing a scholarly source objectively, while avoiding any initial personal perceptions or conclusions. Critically appraising any scholarly source involves analyzing, identifying, and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence to further support implementation of an evidence-based practice (EBP) plan. As you prepare for analyzing evidence in this activity, use the following questions to guide your assessment of the scholarly sources.

1. Are the results of the study valid?
2. What are the results?
3. Will the results assist in improving clinical practice?

Prompt

Select and review one quantitative and one qualitative study from the scholarly sources that are linked in the module Resources section. Then conduct a critical analysis of the content of each article. Be sure to analyze each scholarly source separately, combining your critical appraisal of each source together in one document as a detailed but precise critique of each source. Ensure that you are synthesizing and do not just copy and paste content directly, as you practice critical analysis of sources. You are required to cite a minimum of three sources overall. Apart from the quantitative and qualitative articles you select, your citations should be from current (within the last five years) and credible sources. Refer to the Shapiro Library Guide: NUR 550—Evidence-Based Practice and Scholarly Inquiry located in the Start Here section of the course for additional support.

Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:

1. Validity: Evaluate the validity of a quantitative and qualitative scholarly source. Consider the following questions to guide your response:
2. Reliability: Explain the general results of the quantitative and qualitative scholarly source. Consider the following questions to guide your response:
3. Applicability: Synthesize each quantitative and qualitative source for applicability to clinical practice or nursing practice in general. Consider the following questions to guide your response:
4. Recommendations: Evaluate your recommendations for each quantitative and qualitative source. Consider the following questions to guide your response:

What to Submit

Your submission should be a 3- to 4-page Word document that contains two distinct critical appraisals for your two chosen scholarly sources (one quantitative and one qualitative). You must also include an APA-style title page. Use 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to APA style.