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massage therapy journal
mtj
keeping you in touch.
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Case Reports in
Clinical Care & Research:
7 Steps for Evaluating Case Reports for Strength
by Cynthia Piltch, PhD, CMT & Martha Brown Menard,
PhD, CMT
You've read the latest research column
in mtj and now you want search for
massage-related case reports. The following seven
questions can guide you when evaluating the
strength of a particular case report:
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Does the abstract offer a succinct and adequate summary
of the case report?
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Would the chosen key words help you
locate this
particular case report when performing a database search,
such as
PubMed?
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Does the introduction provide an adequate rationale for
the purpose of the case report, and how it relates to
any existing literature on the subject? Is the purpose
of the study clearly articulated?
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Are the descriptions of the
subjects background and condition, treatment
protocol and outcome measures described in
sufficient detail to enable you to assess if you
have similar clients and could replicate the
protocol?
Here is the most important question in terms of
applying research to practice: how similar is your
client to the one described? The more closely
your client resembles the one described in the case
study, the more likely that the results will be
applicable.
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Does the discussion section explain the findings
in a way that makes sense? Are explanations for any
unanticipated results presented?
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Does the conclusion section summarize the key findings
and offer suggestions for future study and clinical
practice?
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Are the references current, relevant and properly cited?
Before trying to critically evaluate a case study, read through it once for the main points and
then return for a second, more careful reading with these questions in
hand.
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American Massage Therapy Association®
