Coursework 2

Introduction
You will choose a patient with a lower quadrant dysfunction which you clearly describe on the template provided.
From this case study you will identify one aspect of it that will be the focus of your assignment (the research question). For example the topic could focus on:
• Whether or not a specific intervention is effective
• Compare and contrast two commonly applied interventions (assessment or management)

You will then review the literature on the topic you have chosen. This needs to include identifying relevant literature from a literature search (the search strategy will be indexed in an appendix), appraising the papers you have selected and summarising your judgements, evaluations, and conclusions of this literature in a balanced way so that you demonstrate both sides of the argument.
You will then apply these conclusions to your case study and indicate how this literature would help to inform your clinical reasoning and decision making in the physiotherapeutic assessment or management of the case study.

You must relate your literature review to the case study you describe.
You will need to consider the implications of your findings on your case study. You should consider wider issues that may be relevant to your case study e.g. holistic and cultural perspectives and general patient management issues. You should identify key learning points (take home messages) from the literature you review.

Points to consider:
It will help you if you ensure your selected topic is specific and focussed rather than too wide ranging.
The assignment should show a comprehensive literature review on this specific topic using peer reviewed journal articles where possible, rather than books or internet sites. You will need to be selective in the articles you review and justify your reasons for prioritising certain papers and rejecting others. As a guide you will select just 3-5 key articles to critically review in detail although you may wish to include some other papers in a more general way in your discussion section.
You could also try to use a systematic review if available and supplement this with other literature that has not been incorporated into the systematic review you have chosen.

Throughout the assignment you should show your ability to integrate information, to be open minded and questioning and to reach informed reasoned conclusions. This will involve you showing a critical evaluative approach, with discussion and debate over strengths and weaknesses, uncertainties and contradictions of evidence found in the literature.

Your work must be written in an academic style and referenced as per the Harvard reference guide

Aims for the assignment:

The aims of the assignment are to develop the skills of critical evaluation of literature in order to inform your clinical reasoning and decision making and improve physiotherapeutic effectiveness.

You will need to:
• Identify a case study of interest and develop a research question which is relevant to your area of professional practice and provide a brief rationale for your choice.
• Describe and conduct your literature search strategy providing a rationale for your choice of key words and the inclusion and exclusion criteria used to identify and select the most appropriate research papers from peer-reviewed journals. You will need to justify their inclusion.
• Use a structured approach (and appropriate tool) to critically appraise the selected articles discussing their strengths and weaknesses and overall contribution to the research question which you defined.
• Synthesise the important elements of these papers as they relate to your case study and discuss the clinical implications.

Assessment criteria
See the handbook for the assessment and marking guidelines. As a guide the following weightings might be considered useful:

Introduction and case outline plus literature search strategy 15%
Critical analysis of literature 40%
Evaluation and use of the literature findings to inform clinical reasoning and decision making and to answer your research question 40%
Conclusion, summary and clinical implications 5%