1.       How did the protocol protect against researcher bias?

2.       How did the researchers isolate the effects of each treatment? Which controls were in place to ensure any differences were attributable to a specific treatment?

3.       Which other explanations can you think of for the differences between groups exclusive of the treatment?

4.       Describe your level of comfort using these results as evidence for practice. How might these results be applied to nursing practice? What is the external validity— ecological and population—of this study?