preview

What Hierarchy Of Evidence Is Used When Making Decisions About Clinical Interventions?

Decent Essays

Research Worksheet Jesse Travis Midwestern University Research Worksheet Questions What hierarchy of evidence is used when making decisions about clinical interventions? While research has long paralleled medicine, the use of strong research evidence as the basis for clinical action is more recent (Houser, 2015). The historically accepted hierarchy of evidence separates evidence into levels of trust, from highest to lowest (Greenhalgh, 2010): 1. Systematic reviews of randomized controlled trails 2. Randomized controlled trails 3. Controlled clinical trials 4. Observational studies (cohort studies or case-controlled studies) 5. Case studies, expert opinion, bench studies While this structure provides a starting point for the critique of evidence strength, the prudent evaluation and, subsequent, translation into practice guidelines requires further consideration (Greenhalgh, 2010). Research can be scrutinized into measures of quality. John Hopkins Hospital grades evidence on a high to low scale, A through C, based on criteria including consistency of results, reproducibility of findings, sample size of study, level of study control, organizational design, and expert opinion (Newhouse, Dearholt, Poe, Pugh, & White, 2005). Using this evaluation tool, an A score would result in a recommendation for clinical practice while a score of C should alert the clinician to a low quality of research and should not be incorporated into practice guidelines (Newhouse et al., 2005).

Get Access