SYSTEMIC APPRAISAL TOOL

Article Critique Using Systemic Appraisal Tool

Article Critique Using Systemic Appraisal Tool

This paper presents critique of an article “Prevention of Clostridium difficile infection with Saccharomyces boulardii: A systematic review”, written by Jennifer M Tung, Lisa R Dolovich, and Christine H Lee. Systematic appraisal tool technique has been followed to assess the article based on dimensional factors.

Screening Questions

1. Did the review ask a clearly-focused question? ?? Yes ?? Can't tell ?? No

Consider if the question is 'focused' in terms of:

- the population studied

- the intervention given or exposure

- the outcomes considered

Answer: Yes

In this paper, researcher highlighted that they want to review the effectiveness of S boulardii in the prevention of primary and recurrent CDI. Benefit was defined as a reduction of diarrhea associated with C difficile. Risk was defined as any adverse effects of S boulardii.

2. Did the review include the right type of study? ?? Yes ?? Can't tell ?? No

Consider if the included studies:

- address the review's question

- have an appropriate study design

Answer: Yes

Systemic review of studies has been done in this paper. Researchers developed an inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria were English language publications and human clinical trials. All studies that addressed the effect of S boulardii in adult patients for preventing primary or recurring CDI were included. Trials that were nonrandomized, not written in English, were review articles or animal studies were excluded.

3. Did the reviewers try to identify all relevant studies? ?? Yes ?? Can't tell ?? No

Consider:

- which bibliographic databases were used

- if there was follow-up from reference lists

- if there was personal contact with experts

- if the reviewers searched for unpublished studies

- if the reviewers searched for non-English-language Studies

Answer: Yes

Authors used bibliographic material to support their research. They have provided references of 15 journal articles at the end of research paper; studies that have been referenced in the content section of the paper.

4. Did the reviewers assess the quality of the included studies? ?? Yes ?? Can't tell ?? No

Consider:

- if a clear, pre-determined strategy was used to determine which studies were included. Look for:

- a scoring system

- more than one assessor

Answer: Yes

Benefit was defined as a reduction in C difficile-associated diarrhea, while risk was attributed to the adverse effects of S boulardii treatment. Studies were assessed by examining the ...