Understanding Research-Based Therapy
"Research" defined:
The burden of finding positive evidence falls on the parent-consumer of
therapy programs.
In this web site a table has been provided listing programs and the
type of research each program lists publicly through their web site or
printed material.
Research evidence is sometimes difficult for the average person to
find. Three places you can find research articles are:
1) The Dallas Public Library
2) Google Scholar
3) PubMed
What is evidence based practice?
This is a popular term used right now in both medical and educational
fields. It is often misunderstood only to mean that a program or
treatment is based on research evidence. There are three components
combined in evidence based practice (EBP):
1) The best available research evidence
2) The best available evidence gathered from the clinician’s own
experience and knowledge
3) The best available evidence of the patient’s preferences and values
What is a peer-reviewed journal article?
Peer-reviewed journal articles are studies that have been reviewed and
critiqued by experts in the field prior to publication. Publication of
an article in a peer-reviewed journal is considered the highest quality
and most respected research within a field of study.
What is a "poster presentation"?
Researchers may present the findings of their study on a poster. The
posters may be shown at regional or national conferences. Some
conferences may display “juried” posters in which the posters are
submitted to a review panel in advance and selected on the basis of
merit. Therefore, even poster presentations may demonstrate different
levels of evidence and merit.
What is a case study? What is a group study? Which is better?
A case study is a systematic examination of a person or a small
group of people with similar characteristics. The events or
characteristics are analyzed. They are often used to determine if a
patient improves when a specific treatment is used. Since case studies
are usually observational, and not controlled, they are not the most
reliable source of evidence for determining if a treatment is
effective. They can show if the patient improved, but they cannot be
used as proof that a patient improved solely as a result of the
treatment. The patient might have improved with or without the
treatment. Case studies are a good basis for further research and are
often used to present unique and unusual patients.
Generally, a group study is a controlled, experimental study.
In this type of study there is a “control group” and one or more groups
in which an experiment (or variable) is applied. Since the variables
are precisely controlled, cause and effect relationships can be
measured. This is thought to be the gold standard in research methods.
When an experiment is repeated by other researchers it is considered
stronger evidence. Over time, a body or research with consistent
results with many people in many places provides the strongest
evidence.
Different research design methods are necessary to answer different
research questions, however, the controlled, experimental group study,
published in a reputable peer reviewed journal is generally considered
the highest level of research evidence in the field of study.
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