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Increased attention has been placed on identifying and installing evidence-based practices (EBPs) to effectively and efficiently serve students with and at-risk for learning and behavioral challenges. Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC, 2014) Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education are often used to examine a range of strategies, practices, and programs to ascertain if they are indeed EBPs. Systematic reviews conducted to evaluate the evidence base of these potential EBPs are important as they inform practice. We contend it is important to provide well-vetted procedures for training scholars to conduct systematic reviews with replicable precision. We offer this chapter to assist scholars in conducting systematic reviews to quality appraise the methodological rigor of a body of literature using the CEC Standards for EBPs. We focus on (1) project management considerations and (2) steps and phases to support the development and dissemination of high quality, methodologically rigorous systematic literature reviews.

Team formulation, used to understand patient problems and plan care, is a growing practice in adult mental health and learning disability services. The purpose of this paper is to explore definitions applied to team formulation (as distinct to therapy formulation), its underpinning theories, and the inter-relationship between the team and the process of formulation.

A database search (main search term of team formulation) of peer-reviewed studies was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. A main and second reviewer conducted quality appraisals and thematic analysis. Data were analysed by convergent qualitative synthesis design using thematic analysis to transform evidence from quantitative and qualitative studies into qualitative findings.

Initial searching produced 4,532 papers, 10 of which were eligible for inclusion. Team formulation has no distinct definition. Theories underpinning the practice of therapy formulation emanating from general psychological theory underpin team formulation. Seven studies applied psychological theories to the examination of team formulation. No studies examined the impact of the team on the formulation. Six themes were generated regarding the impact of team formulation on the team; “increased knowledge and understanding”, “altered perceptions, leading to altered relationships, feelings and behaviours”, “space to reflect”, “useful when stuck or challenged”, “perceived increase in effectiveness” and “improved team working”.

Limited evidence and variable quality compromised the availability of review evidence.

This is the first review to examine team formulation through the context of the team. The authors argue that a conceptual framework to encompass team inputs, processes and outputs in team formulation practice should guide future research.

Systematic reviews – that is, research reviews that are rigorous and follow scientific methods – are increasingly important for assisting stakeholders in implementing evidence-based decision making for children and adults with disabilities. Yet, systematic reviews vary greatly in quality and are therefore not a panacea. Distinguishing “good” reviews from “bad” reviews requires time and skills related to the appraisal of systematic reviews. The purpose of this chapter is to inform stakeholders (i.e., practitioners, administrators, policy makers) of evidence-based information sources that provide synopses (i.e., appraisals) of systematic reviews, to provide guidance in reading and interpreting the synopses of various sources, and to propose how to make sense of multiple synopses from different sources for the same systematic review. A secondary purpose of this chapter is to illustrate how stakeholders can conduct their own appraisals if synopses are not available.

The medical consultation is one of the requirements in diseases diagnosis and patient treatment. In addition, a high-quality consultation is a fundamental demand of patients, and it is one of the rights of every patient. The purpose of this paper is to identify factors affecting the high-quality consultation in medical communications.

The following electronic databases were searched: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, Cochrane, EMBASE, Scopus and ProQuest until December 2018. In addition, the authors searched Google Scholar. Qualitative and quantitative studies were assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme, Qualitative Checklist and the Center for Evidence-Based Management appraisal checklist, respectively. A stepwise approach was conducted for data synthesis.

Of 3,826 identified studies, 29 met the full inclusion criteria. Overall, after quality assessment of studies, 25 studies were included. The studies were conducted in the USA (n=6), the UK (n=6), the Netherlands (n=4), Canada (n=2), Belgium (n=2), Poland (n=2), Germany (n=1), Iran (n=1), Finland (n=1), Austria (n=1), Qatar (n=1), Denmark (n=1) and China (n=1), and five studies were excluded. Data synthesis showed that high-quality consultation consisted of three main categories: structural (4 main themes with 26 sub-themes), process (2 main themes with 33 sub-themes) and outcome (3 main themes with 12 sub-themes) quality.

Using the indicators of consultation quality improvement can develop physicians’ clinical competence and skills. Decision makers can use them to monitor and evaluate physicians’ performance. A high-quality consultation can be useful in social prescribing that helps patients to manage their disease.

Common literature review methods such as systematic review and narrative review are poorly suited to the investigation of complex management phenomena. Systematic reviews are highly driven by protocol and procedure, and are oft-criticized as reductive and poorly equipped to examine the interaction between phenomena and context, nonlinear processes, and empirical outcomes that are less predictable. Narrative reviews, on the other hand, are pluralistic and iterative and thus better suited to descriptions of the complex and unpredictable; however, they tend to lack methodological transparency, trustworthiness, and pragmatism in application. The “realist synthesis” approach to literature review can be seen as the middle-ground between these two common methods, offering both methodological rigor alongside flexibility and nuance. Realist synthesis takes an explanatory frame, with a focus on unearthing the theorized causal mechanisms at play beneath a phenomenon of interest.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

The purpose of this paper is to systematically identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative literature exploring the experience, both positive and negative, of clinical supervision from the supervisor’s perspective.

A systematic search of three databases, grey literature, reference lists and citations was conducted. Six articles met the inclusion criteria and their quality was critically appraised by using a modified version of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. Data extracted from the articles were synthesised using meta-ethnography.

Four key themes were identified: experiencing difficulties in clinical supervision, responsibility, similarities to therapy and capabilities as a supervisor. These demonstrated that the role of a supervisor has the potential to be both beneficial and harmful to personal and professional development.

The quality of the studies was variable. Further research is required to explore how supervisors manage difficult experiences to ensure personal development and growth.

Clinical implications include the need for employers to consider the additional pressure associated with providing clinical supervision and to ensure that appropriate support is available. Results complement previous research on the bi-directionality of parallel process in clinical supervision.

This review presents an original synthesis of the supervisor’s experience of delivering clinical supervision to qualified therapists. This is achieved by utilising a systematic methodology and appraising the quality of the studies included. The review highlights how the effects of clinical supervision are not limited to the supervisee, but also experienced by the supervisor. The competing demands and responsibilities associated with clinical supervision impact upon the supervisor’s experience, both positively and negatively. When beneficial, delivering clinical supervision can lead to personal and professional growth in addition to the acquisition of new skills.

The purpose of this paper is to present a state‐of‐the‐art review of dimensional tolerance synthesis and to demonstrate the evolution of tolerance synthesis from product to process‐oriented strategy, as well as to compare the same for single stage and multistage manufacturing systems (MMS). The main focus is in delineating the different approaches, methods and techniques used with critical appraisal of their uses, applicability and limitations, based on which future research directions and a generic methodology are proposed.

Starting with issues in tolerancing research, the review demonstrates the critical aspects of product and process‐oriented tolerance synthesis. The aspects considered are: construction of tolerance design functions; construction of optimization functions; and use of optimization methods. In describing the issues of process‐oriented tolerance synthesis, a comparative study of single and multistage manufacturing has been provided.

This study critically reviews: the relationship between the tolerance variables and the variations created through manufacturing operations; objective functions for tolerance synthesis; and suitable optimization methods based upon the nature of the tolerance variables and the design functions created.

This study is limited to dimensional tolerance synthesis problems and evolution of process‐oriented tolerance synthesis to counteract dimensional variation problems in assembly manufacturing.

The paper provides a comprehensive and step‐by‐step approach of review of dimensional tolerance synthesis.

The purpose of this paper is to systematically identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative research into how working as a peer support worker (PSW) affects personal recovery.

Ten articles were identified through a systematic search of seven databases, grey literature, reference lists, citations and contact with authors in the field. Identified articles were critically appraised and their results synthesised using metaethnography.

There is potential to significantly improve the quality of the research in this field. Four categories were constructed to synthesise the findings of the reviewed studies, which demonstrated that being a PSW has the potential to be both facilitative of and detrimental to personal recovery.

The quality of existing studies varies widely. Further, high-quality research is required to specifically investigate the effects of employment as a PSW on personal recovery.

The findings are tentative in light of the quality of the studies, but should be considered in the employment, training and ongoing support of PSWs and the services they join.

Through its systematic methodology and appraisal of the quality of the studies reviewed, this review adds value to the literature about the effect of working as a PSW on personal recovery. It offers an original synthesis and criteria for measuring the quality of research in this field.

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze empirical studies related to the implementation strategies for clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in intensive care units (ICUs).

A systematic review with a narrative synthesis adapted from Popay et al.’s method for a narrative synthesis was conducted. A search using CINAHL, Google Scholar, Academic search complete, Cochrane Register for Randomized Controlled Trials, MEDLINE via PUBMED and grey literature was conducted in 2014 and updated in 2016 (August). After reading the abstracts, titles and full-text articles, 11 (n=11) research studies met the inclusion criteria.

After critical appraisal, using the Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal Tools, eight randomized controlled trials conducted in adult and neonatal ICUs using implementation strategies remained. Popay et al.’s method for narrative synthesis was adapted and used to analyze and synthesize the data and formulate concluding statements. Included studies found that multi-faceted strategies appear to be more effective than single strategies. Strategies mostly used were printed educational materials, information/ sessions, audit, feedback, use of champion leaders, educational outreach visits, and computer or internet usage. Practical training, monitoring visits and grand rounds were less used.

Findings can be used by clinicians to implement the best combination of multi-faceted implementation strategies in the ICUs in order to enhance the optimal use of CPGs.

No systematic review was previously done on the implementation strategies that should be used best for optimal CPG implementation in the ICU.