The course aims to provide students with theoretical knowledge and practical skills to: Understand the principles of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) and the hierarchy of evidence; Formulate background and foreground research questions using key frameworks (e.g., PICO, PEO, SPIDER, etc.); Conduct bibliographic searches in scientific databases; Critically appraise the quality of research studies; Understand and apply major standards for conducting and reporting reviews (e.g., PRISMA). By the end of the course, students will be able to: Describe the steps of the EBP process and the role of literature review within it; Correctly formulate a clinical research question; Conduct structured and reproducible searches in major databases; Select and critically evaluate scientific articles; Recognize the different types of reviews and their areas of application; Apply international standards and guidelines when writing a review.
Course Prerequisites
No specific prior knowledge of research methodology or use of scientific databases is required. However, a basic understanding of evidence-based nursing and midwifery concepts (EBN/EBM) is recommended. Throughout the course, all fundamental notions necessary to independently develop a research question and conduct a literature review will be provided.
Teaching Methods
Interactive lectures supported by multimedia slides Group activities (question formulation, search string development, article analysis) Computer-based workshops on scientific databases Discussion of clinical cases
Assessment Methods
Continuous formative assessment: active participation in lectures and practical exercises. Final assignment (individual or group): a mini literature review on a selected topic, including formulation of the research question, search strategy, and synthesis of findings.
Texts
Teacher’s slides -Higgins, J. P. T. et al. (2022). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, version 6.3. -Joanna Briggs Institute. (2020). Reviewer’s Manual. -PRISMA Statement (www.prisma-statement.org) -EQUATOR Network (www.equator-network.org) -PROSPERO Register (www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero)
Contents
Module 1: Introduction to EBP and the role of literature reviews Module 2: Background and foreground questions (e.g., PICO, PEO, SPIDER frameworks) Module 3: Bibliographic search in major databases (e.g., PubMed) Module 4: Critical appraisal of sources: checklists, bias, and levels of evidence Module 5: Types of reviews: narrative, integrative, systematic, scoping, umbrella Module 6: Guidelines for quality and transparency (e.g., PRISMA)
Course Language
Italian
More information
Active participation is strongly recommended, as many skills are acquired through practical exercises. During the course, guidance will be provided on how to apply the acquired knowledge to the development of the rationale for the master’s thesis.
