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Meta-analysis, decision analysis, and cost-effectiveness analysis are the cornerstones of evidence-based medicine. These related quantitative methods have become essential tools in the formulation of clinical and public policy based on the synthesis of evidence. All three methods are taught with increasing frequency in medical schools and schools of public health and in health policy courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. This book is a lucid introduction, and will serve the needs of students taking introductory courses that cover these topics. It will also be useful to clinicians and policymakers who need to understand the quantitative underpinnings of the methods in order to best apply the information that derives from them. The second edition of this popular book adds new material on cumulative meta-analysis as a method to explore heterogeneity. The coverage of cost-effectiveness analysis has been brought into close alignment with recommendations of the U.S. Public Health Panel on Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Health and Medicine. Many of the examples have been replaced with more current examples, and all of the material has been updated to reflect recent advances in the methods and the emergence of consensus about some previously controversial issues. analysis. These three closely related methods have become even more important for synthesizing research since the first edition was published in 1994. And they have gained legitimacy as tools for guiding health policy.

A two-time AJN Book of the Year Award winner and a 2013 Doody Core Title! This distinguished text provides top-tier guidance for advanced practice nurses on how to perform a comprehensive systematic review of available research to inform scholarly work, particularly in DNP and PhD programs. With a strategic focus on the search process and assessing the quality of the evidence, this text presents, clearly and comprehensively, all of the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct a foundational CSR in eight concrete steps. This text examines how to write a CSR proposal, final report, and a policy brief based on systematic review findings. Two finished proposals and two completed systematic reviews demonstrate each step of the process from start to finish. Additionally, the text covers software used in research queries and provides helpful strategies for effectively using the search function when seeking information. The Third Edition offers four new chapters with incisive recommendations for performing a CSR and addressing new ways CSR is being implemented in today’s healthcare environment. It describes the latest methodological advances, including living systematic reviews and dominance scores for economic review. Two complete CSRs along with new and updated examples throughout the book further aid readers in their pursuit of excellence in scholarly work. New to the Third Edition: New Chapters: How to choose the right critical appraisal tool Writing the final report and disseminating the results of systematic reviews Disseminating results with how to write a policy brief and/or press release on CSR results Example of a meta-analysis using GRADE Offers increased focus on dissemination Includes new and updated examples reflecting latest trends in nursing scholarly work Key Features: Provides the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct a CSR from start to finish Teaches readers how to conduct high-quality systematic reviews Instructs readers on pertinent resources and methods for optimal library-related systematic review research efforts Describes how to best search research databases to facilitate scholarly work Includes objectives, summary points, end-of-chapter exercises, discussion questions, suggested reading, and references to enhance understanding

A Guide to Library Research in Music introduces the process and techniques for researching and writing about music. This informative textbook provides concrete examples of different types of writing, offering a thorough introduction to music literature. It clearly describes various information-searching techniques and library-based organizational systems and introduces the array of music resources available. Each chapter concludes with learning exercises to aid the students' concept application and skill development. Appendixes provide short cuts to specific topics in library organizational systems, including Library of Congress Subject Headings and Classification. The concluding bibliography provides a quick overview of music literature and resources, emphasizing electronic and print publications since 2000, but including standard references that all music researchers should know.

For over sixty million Americans, possessing a criminal record overshadows everything else about their public identity. A rap sheet, or even a court appearance or background report that reveals a run-in with the law, can have fateful consequences for a person’s interactions with just about everyone else. The Eternal Criminal Record makes transparent a pervasive system of police databases and identity screening that has become a routine feature of American life. The United States is unique in making criminal information easy to obtain by employers, landlords, neighbors, even cyberstalkers. Its nationally integrated rap-sheet system is second to none as an effective law enforcement tool, but it has also facilitated the transfer of ever more sensitive information into the public domain. While there are good reasons for a person’s criminal past to be public knowledge, records of arrests that fail to result in convictions are of questionable benefit. Simply by placing someone under arrest, a police officer has the power to tag a person with a legal history that effectively incriminates him or her for life. In James Jacobs’s view, law-abiding citizens have a right to know when individuals in their community or workplace represent a potential threat. But convicted persons have rights, too. Jacobs closely examines the problems created by erroneous record keeping, critiques the way the records of individuals who go years without a new conviction are expunged, and proposes strategies for eliminating discrimination based on criminal history, such as certifying the records of those who have demonstrated their rehabilitation.