Quality assessment of qualitative evidence for systematic review and synthesis: Is it meaningful, and if so, how should it be performed?

Carroll, Christopher; Booth, Andrew

doi:10.1002/jrsm.1128

Cited by 173 publications

(170 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…While critical appraisal has come to be an expected element of qualitative‐evidence synthesis, it is contentious because of the epistemological variety of qualitative research, the diversity of appraisal tools, the variability in ratings within as well as between tools (Carroll & Booth, ; Dixon‐Woods et al, ), and the fact that such tools do not measure conceptual quality (Toye, Seers, & Barker, ). Applying the CASP checklist for qualitative studies to mixed‐methods studies is problematic because the latter should be evaluated as a whole, given that the strengths of one strand can compensate for deficiencies of the other (Heyvaert, Hannes, Maes, & Onghena, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The lived experience of working with people with eating disorders: A meta‐ethnography

Graham

Tierney

Chisholm

et al. 2020

Intl J Eating Disorders

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Objective Working with people with eating disorders (EDs) is known to elicit strong emotional reactions, and the therapeutic alliance has been shown to affect outcomes with this clinical population. As a consequence, it is important to understand healthcare professionals' (HCPs') experiences of working with this client group. Method A meta‐synthesis was conducted of qualitative research on HCPs' lived experiences of working with people with EDs. The results from the identified studies were analyzed using Noblit and Hare's meta‐ethnographic method. Data were synthesized using reciprocal translation, and a line of argument was developed. Results Thirty‐seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Reciprocal translation resulted in a key concept: “Coping with caring without curing.” This was underpinned by the following third‐order concepts: (a) “The dissonance and discomfort of being a helper struggling to help,” (b) “Defending against the dissonance,” and (c) “Accepting the dissonance to provide safe and compassionate care.” These concepts were used to develop a line‐of‐argument synthesis, which was expressed as a new model for understanding HCPs' experiences of working with people who have an ED. Discussion Although the conflict associated with being a helper struggling to help led some HCPs to avoid and blame people with EDs, others adopted a compassionate stance characterized by humanity, humility, balance, and awareness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The lived experience of working with people with eating disorders: A meta‐ethnography

Graham

Tierney

Chisholm

et al. 2020

Intl J Eating Disorders

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“…Disagreements between researchers on quality ratings were resolved through discussion. Articles were not scored or graded, nor were any articles excluded from the synthesis as a result of a lack of consensus on a validated and reliable method for assigning a numerical score and/or excluding qualitative studies from systematic reviews (60,66,67) . Aspects of each study were assessed as being either adequate/appropriate or inadequate/inappropriate against each of 22 criteria included in the RATS guidelines (65) .…”

Section: Quality Appraisalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The overarching theme encompassing the main themes captured the sentiment that students are navigating their way through dietetics education programmes. The (67) is provided. † Lordly and MacLellan are two papers from the same study.…”

Section: Overarching Theme: Navigating Through the Ups And Downsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietetics students’ experiences of dietetics workforce preparation and preparedness: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis

Morgan

Campbell

Reidlinger

2018

J Human Nutrition Diet

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Background: Dietetics students are a widely researched group. As emerging dietitians, they can provide valuable insights to inform how dietetics education programmes may be enhanced to meet contemporary healthcare needs. This review aimed to systematically synthesise dietetics students' experiences of dietetics workforce preparation. Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, Informit and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global were searched to identify research published until June 2017. Studies investigating dietetics students' experiences of dietetics workforce preparation, and employing qualitative data collection and analysis methods were included. Data analysis was guided by thematic synthesis, where themes were constructed through an iterative and inductive process. Study quality was appraised using the RATS Qualitative Research Review Guidelines. Results: From the 3301 records identified, five studies met the inclusion criteria and the views of 120 dietetics students from two countries over a 9year period were synthesised. The overarching theme of 'navigating through the ups and downs' was underpinned by four main themes: enduring hurdles; reconciling expectations; transforming self; and making and breaking connections. Quality appraisal results rated selection bias as being inadequate/inappropriate across all studies. Conclusions: Dietetics students undertake a transformational journey through dietetics education. They are inspired by seeing what is possible through meaningful encounters with practitioners in diverse settings. However, they are challenged by competitive environments and perceived ideals that are embedded in the profession. Strategies that focus on exposing dietetics students to inspirational practitioners, increasing and celebrating diversity in academic/placement settings, and incentivising collaboration across dietetics education, could act as catalysts to enhance the experience of future dietetics students and the nutrition-related health of those they will serve. 226

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“…In systematic reviews this is typically mentioned as one step of the critical appraisal. However, to date, such critical appraisal is often implicit, based on criteria varying for every systematic review (Collaboration for Environmental Evidence , Carroll and Booth , Stewart and Schmid ). We therefore introduce an evidence assessment tool providing a clear appraisal guideline to score the reliability of individual studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An evidence assessment tool for ecosystem services and conservation studies

Mupepele

Walsh

Sutherland

et al. 2016

Ecological Applications

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Reliability of scientific findings is important, especially if they directly impact decision making, such as in environmental management. In the 1990s, assessments of reliability in the medical field resulted in the development of evidence-based practice. Ten years later, evidence-based practice was translated into conservation, but so far no guidelines exist on how to assess the evidence of individual studies. Assessing the evidence of individual studies is essential to appropriately identify and synthesize the confidence in research findings. We develop a tool to assess the strength of evidence of ecosystem services and conservation studies. This tool consists of (1) a hierarchy of evidence, based on the experimental design of studies and (2) a critical-appraisal checklist that identifies the quality of research implementation. The application is illustrated with 13 examples and we suggest further steps to move towards more evidence-based environmental management.

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Quality assessment of qualitative evidence for systematic review and synthesis: Is it meaningful, and if so, how should it be performed?

Cited by 173 publications

References 22 publications

The lived experience of working with people with eating disorders: A meta‐ethnography

The lived experience of working with people with eating disorders: A meta‐ethnography

Dietetics students’ experiences of dietetics workforce preparation and preparedness: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis

An evidence assessment tool for ecosystem services and conservation studies

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