AOTA’S EVIDENCE EXCHAGE
CRITICALLY APPRAISED PAPER (CAP) WORKSHEET
General Instructions: Please insert your responses in the boxes provided, which will expand if more
room is needed. If information requested is not reported or not applicable to the article, please indicate
in your response and provide a rationale as needed. Refer to the CAP Guidelines for submission
criteria and detailed instructions on how to fill out each section of the worksheet.
CITATION AND DOI NUMBER
Mouradian, L. E., DeGrace, B. W., & Thompson, D. M. (2013). Art-based occupation group reduces
parent anxiety in the NICU: A mixed-methods study. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67,
692–700. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2013.007682
CLINICAL BOTTOM LINE
Briefly discuss how the evidence can be used to inform and guide occupational therapy practice (i.e.,
within the scope of traditional or emerging practice) AND how practitioners can use the evidence
relative to the target population and practice setting. Implications need to be reported in consideration
of the strength of the evidence (i.e., type of study design, level of evidence, identified study limitations,
internal validity rating, to what population results may generalize).
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE(S)
DESIGN TYPE AND LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
PARTICIPANT SELECTION
How were participants recruited and selected to participate?
Inclusion criteria:
Exclusion criteria:
PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS
N=
#/ % Male:
#/ % Female:
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CAP Worksheet
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Last Updated: 8/25/2016
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Ethnicity:
Disease/disability diagnosis:
INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS (Add groups if necessary)
Group 1:
Brief description of the
intervention
How many participants
in the group?
Where did the
intervention take place?
Who delivered?
How often?
For how long?
Group 2:
Brief description of the
intervention
How many participants
in the group?
Where did the
intervention take place?
Who delivered?
How often?
For how long?
Group 3:
Brief description of the
intervention
How many participants
in the group?
Where did the
intervention take place?
Who delivered?
How often?
For how long?
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INTERVENTION BIASES (Check yes or no, and include a brief explanation)
Contamination:
YES ☐
NO ☐
Explanation:
Co-intervention:
YES ☐
NO ☐
Explanation:
Timing of intervention:
Explanation:
YES ☐
NO ☐
Site of intervention:
Explanation:
YES ☐
NO ☐
Use of different therapists to provide intervention:
Explanation:
YES ☐
NO ☐
Baseline equality:
Explanation:
YES ☐
NO ☐
MEASURES AND OUTCOMES (Report only on measures relevant to occupational therapy
practice)
Measure 1:
Name/type of
measure used:
What outcome is
measured?
Is the measure
YES ☐
NO ☐
Not Reported ☐
reliable (as reported
in the article)?
Is the measure valid
YES ☐
NO ☐
Not Reported ☐
(as reported in the
article)?
When is the
measure used?
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CAP Worksheet
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Last Updated: 8/25/2016
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Measure 2:
Name/type of
measure used:
What outcome is
measured?
Is the measure
reliable as reported
in the article?
Is the measure valid
as reported in the
article?
When is the
measure used?
Measure 3:
Name/type of
measure used:
What outcome is
measured?
Is the measure
reliable as reported
in the article?
Is the measure valid
as reported in the
article?
When is the
measure used?
YES ☐
NO ☐
Not Reported ☐
YES ☐
NO ☐
Not Reported ☐
YES ☐
NO ☐
Not Reported ☐
YES ☐
NO ☐
Not Reported ☐
MEASUREMENT BIASES (Check yes or no, and include a brief explanation)
Were the evaluators blind to treatment status?
Explanation:
YES ☐
NO ☐
Was there recall or memory bias?
Explanation:
YES ☐
NO ☐
Other measurement biases: (List and explain)
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CAP Worksheet
Evidence Exchange
Last Updated: 8/25/2016
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RESULTS
List key findings based on study objectives:
Was this study adequately powered (large enough to show a difference)? (Check yes or no, and
include a brief explanation)
Explanation:
YES ☐
NO ☐
Were the analysis methods appropriate? (Check yes or no, and include a brief explanation)
Explanation:
YES ☐
NO ☐
Were statistics appropriately reported (in written or table format)? (Check yes or no, and include
a brief explanation)
Explanation:
YES ☐
NO ☐
Was participant dropout less than 20% in total sample and balanced between groups? (Check yes
or no, and include a brief explanation)
YES
☐
NO
☐
Explanation:
What are the overall study limitations?
CONCLUSIONS
State the authors’ conclusions related to the research objectives.
CAP AUTHOR INFORMATION
List full name(s) of all participants (i.e., students, faculty advisor) and credentials.
Jennifer Dulek, OTD, OTR/L
CAP Worksheet adapted from “Critical Review Form--Quantitative Studies.” Copyright  1998, by M. Law, D. Stewart, N. Pollack, L.
Letts, J. Bosch, & M. Westmorland, McMaster University. Used with permission.
For personal or educational use only. All other uses require permission from AOTA.
Contact: www.copyright.com
AOTA Evidence-Based Practice Project
CAP Worksheet
Evidence Exchange
Last Updated: 8/25/2016
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