Clinical Research Oriented Workshop (CROW) Meeting: December 15, 2011

Present: Kairn Kelley, Amanda Kennedy, Charlie MacLean, Connie van Eeghen

1. Start Up: Kairn’s update on her dissertation study – In a recent meeting with Ben, it was suggested that perhaps Kairn should look at a different test with better reliability. Kairn explained the reasons for looking at dichotic words tests and acknowledged reliability is a major concern. The “goodness” of auditory processing tests as a category has not been established based on current literature. Comments made:

a. Consider the current state of auditory tests as the topic for the review article that is required of the PhD.

b. This study will not answer all the questions of what is true, what clinical practice should be, and how one helps an individual patient. That effort describes a career, specifically, a post-PhD career.

2. Kairn: Lit review progress. Kairn brought a chapter for discussion and support on normative values of a SCAN-3 auditory processing test, including how they were determined and what they mean. The group discussed the purpose of review. Instead of reviewing this article, the group sketched the outline of the review article that Kairn should write.

a. Audience: clinical audience

b. What is available (auditory tests) – cast the widest net possible, but must be available

i. Keep a separate listing of all tests, whether or not available

c. What studies have been done (not many)

d. How to select appropriate tests (based on what is available) – like a Consumer’s Report digest

i. Develop criteria for rating those tests

ii. Rate them

iii. Check a standard reference (Cochrane’s?) for examples

iv. Goal: one stop shopping for clinicians

e. Anticipate the dissertation study by outlining a method for further study

3. Next Workshop Meeting(s): Thursday, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., at Given Courtyard Level 4

a. Dec 22: Rodger – Discussion of Web-Based Self-Management Intervention for Multi-Morbidity (no Amanda, maybe no Kairn)

b. Dec 29: UVM closed

c. Jan 5: Kairn – review of “Development and Evidence of Reliability and Validity” chapter from SCAN-3; start new meeting time from 1:00 – 2:30 on Thursdays

d. Future agenda to consider:

i. Ben: budgeting exercise for grant applications

ii. Rodger: Mixed methods article; article on Behavior’s Influence on Medical Conditions (unpublished); drug company funding

iii. Amanda: presentation and interpretation of data in articles

iv. Future: Review of different types of journal articles (lit review, case study, original article, letter to editor…), when each is appropriate, tips on planning/writing (Abby)

Recorder: C. van Eeghen