1. A nurse is conducting a systematic review of randomized

controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of

acupuncture for chronic pain. She searches several

databases and finds 20 relevant RCTs. She then assesses

the quality of each RCT using a standardized tool. What is

the purpose of this step?

a) To eliminate bias in the selection of studies

b) To synthesize the results of the studies

c) To determine the applicability of the findings to practice

d) To evaluate the internal validity of the studies*

Rationale: Evaluating the internal validity of the studies is

important to assess how well the RCTs were designed and

conducted, and whether they minimized the risk of

confounding factors, selection bias, measurement error, and

other threats to validity.

2. A nurse is reading a research article on the effects of

music therapy on anxiety and depression in palliative care

patients. The article reports that music therapy significantly

reduced anxiety and depression scores compared to a

control group. The nurse wants to know if the results are

clinically meaningful, not just statistically significant.

Which of the following measures can help her answer this

question?

a) P-value

b) Confidence interval

c) Effect size*