Highlights
Task:
Task Description: This task will assess your understanding of the material taught in this unit about evidence and CMs. Select a complementary medicine from the list below and write a 1000 word written piece about the evidence base for this product (see detailed instructions below).
List of substances (choose one)– Echinacea (Echinaces spp), Vitamin C, garlic (Allium sativum), glucosamine, magnesium (Mg), Vitamin D, ginseng (Panax ginseng), German chamomile (Matricaria recucita also called Chamomilla recucita).
Your written piece should address the following questions. We suggest sections 1 & 3 should be approximately 300 words and sections 2 & 4 should be approximately 200 words. All sections should be labelled with the relevant number.
Questions to be addressed 1 What are complementary medicines? This refers to complementary medicine products, not the practices of complementary medicine How are they different from pharmaceuticals and OTC medicines? State the product and issue you will address. Explain why the product you have chosen is classified as a CM.
2 What is the hierarchy of evidence? Explain how sources of evidence are ranked on the hierarchy and how the hierarchy is used in evidence-based practice. How useful is this method of ranking evidence for evaluating CMs?
3 Use the PubMed database in the UTas library to locate one published research article from an academic journal that focuses on the product/medicine you have chosen for treating the issue you have identified (for example depression, hypertension, muscle cramps etc). Locate the article on the hierarchy of evidence, briefly summarise the methods and key findings from the articles.
4 Discuss the strength of the evidence base for the chosen substance based on the research you have conducted. Reflect on the impact that completing this exercise has on your personal decision-making about using complementary medicines. Please engage with the academic literature on evidence and CMs in your reflection
Required readings -
Please engage with relevant readings BOTH from the unit and from your own research in your answer.
You should use and cite relevant weekly readings from weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4. This will ensure that you are engaging with suitable literature on each of the questions listed above. You are also encouraged to do your own research and locate additional sources. Remember to use literature in each section of the reflective piece and to support this with citations.
Finding the information you require
This webpage tells you about UTas’ databases and how to use them. http://www.utas.edu.au/library/find/databases?a=56269
You will also find the library guide for Health and Medicine useful http://utas.libguides.com/healthmedicineIf you can’t find relevant information about the ingredient you are looking for (ie the active ingredient of the product) in PubMed, you will have to search elsewhere. While meta-analyses, systematic reviews and RCTs are generally found in the academic literature, ‘lower’ levels on the hierarchy of evidence – ie case reports, traditional knowledge, editorials, expert opinion – may also be found in textbooks, in professional literature and ‘grey’ literature.
When using the net, be selective and note that there are many unreliable sources of information. Academic, scientific, government or education websites ie .gov, .edu, or .ac in the URL address as usually more reliable sources. search by Latin name as well as by common name – the Latin name will be on the product label
Unless you come from a scientific background, you will find reading the papers challenging. Here Is a short video guide for non-scientists for understanding scientific papers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm6pdg3uAPA
Issues that you should note when preparing your assessment task.
Make sure that you answer the questions. Before you submit, review your answer in relation to the rubric which is provided – have you covered all the areas mentioned in the rubric?
If you are not confident with your written expression, consider submitting a draft of your work to Studiosity, the 24-hour online review portal. https://askus.utas.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/2499Learning to cite (ie reference other authors) appropriately is an important academic skill. Be careful of failing to acknowledge the thoughts or writings of someone else - this is plagiarism, a form of cheating and taken very seriously by the university. Also avoid making unsubstantiated assertions. There are many other reasons to reference - to validate your arguments, to enable the reader to follow up on the original work, to let us see how dated your information might be, or to prove to us that you have read around the issues.
The required citation system for this unit is APA7th, an author-date system.
https://utas.libguides.com/referencing/APA7th. This is a simple introduction https://utas.shorthandstories.com/simplified--author-date---writing-guide/index.htmlWhen citing websites, you need to include sufficient information that we can follow up the information you include. That means citing the particular page, not the home page or general address of the site. APA 7th offers guidance on how to correctly cite a website.
Assessment CriteriaCriterion 1
Demonstrate an understanding of Complementary Medicine and the products it encompasses ILO1
Criterion 2
Distinguish between types and levels of evidence in the ‘evidence hierarchy. Reflect on the challenges of applying an EMP approach when evaluating CMs. ILO2
Criterion 3 Evaluate the evidence base of the chosen product for the indication you have selected. ILO 2 and 3
Criterion 4 Discuss and reflect on the influence of your recent research on your potential use of this product and other complementary medicine products Criterion 5 Sources and Referencing: Use of suitable sources from the CM and health/medicine literature including materials provided in this unit. Applies APA referencing style as per APA 7th edition. ILO 2
Rubric
Criteria Description HD DN CR PP NN
Criterion 1: 20%
Demonstrate an understanding of Complementary Medicine and the products it encompasses A detailed and accurate definition of complementary medicine products, supported by academic and technical literature. Chosen product and issue are clearly identified. A clear and accurate definition of complementary medicine products, supported by academic literature. Chosen product and issue are identified. An accurate definition of complementary medicine products. Chosen product is identified as is the issue to be investigated. A good attempt but clearer focus on the specified task is needed. Does not adhere to the instructions.
Criterion 2: 20%
Distinguish between types and levels of evidence in the ‘evidence hierarchy. Reflect on the challenges of applying an EBP (evidence-based practice) approach when evaluating CMs. Demonstrates an excellent understanding of the evidence hierarchy and of the relevance and challenges of the EBP approach in the field of complementary medicine. Engages with literature on evidence and CMs. Demonstrates a very good understanding of the evidence hierarchy and of relevance and challenges for such evidence in the field of complementary medicine. Demonstrates a good understanding of the evidence hierarchy and of relevance and challenges for such evidence in the field of complementary medicine. Attempts to distinguish between types and levels of evidence and the relevance of different types of evidence in the field of complementary medicine. Does not adhere to the instructions. Confusion about the hierarchy of evidence, EBP and CMs. Much irrelevant or unsuitable information.
Criterion 3: 20%
Evaluate the evidence base of the chosen product for the indication you have selected. Summarise the methods and findings in the selected journal article and evaluates the strength of the evidence for this product in a very competent and clear way. Summarise the methods and findings in the selected journal article and describes the strength of the evidence for this product in a competent and clear way. Summarise the methods and findings in the selected journal article Describes the strength of the evidence for this product. A good attempt at summarising the methods and findings in the selected journal article and describing the strength of the evidence for this product. Has not reflected on the strength of the evidence for this product
Criterion 4:20% Discuss the influence of your recent research on your potential use of this product and other complementary medicine products. Reflects thoughtfully and clearly on and the impact that this exercise has had on their own views about appropriate evidence for the use of complementary medicines in general and for this specific example. Connects their views with the academic literature on evidence and CMs including concepts of legitimacy and the values of different types of evidence. Reflects clearly on the impact that this exercise has had on their own views about appropriate evidence for the use of complementary medicines in general and for this specific example. Makes some connections between their viewpoint and the academic literature on evidence and CMs Reflects on the impact that this exercise has had on their own views about appropriate evidence for the use of complementary medicines. A good attempt on reflecting on the impact of this exercise on their own decision making about CMs. Has not reflected on the impact of this exercise on their own decision making about CMs
Criterion 5: 20%
Sources and Referencing: Use of suitable sources from the complementary medicine and health/medicine literature including materials provided in this unit. Applies APA referencing style as per APA 7th edition. Excellent choice of sources. Sources used very well throughout the reflective piece. No referencing errors. Very good choice of sources. Sources used well throughout the reflective piece. No referencing errors. Good choice of sources. Very few errors in citation or referencing. Source material adequate. Some errors in citation or referencing. Inadequate or inappropriate sources. Many errors in citation or reference list,
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