A synthesis is a type of literature review in which you weigh the evidence and reach a single overall conclusion to answer your EBP question(Among family caregivers of terminally ill patients receiving hospice care does participation in a caregiver support group compared to no participation in a support group improve caregiver burden and quality of life) To do this you must (1) appraise each study (source of evidence) separately that you are referencing and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of that evidence. In that appraisal, make sure that you include pertinent details about the study (instruments used, analysis, findings) as well as the overall findings as they apply to your EBP question. If there are additional findings, that don’t apply to your question, it is not necessary to include those findings. Then you must (2) compare and contrast the evidence across sources [or, “synthesize” the evidence] (e.g., “Five studies concluded that this intervention was beneficial. One study did not support this conclusion because _____. Possible reasons for this discrepancy include ____.”).
In your discussion and overall conclusion, it is important that you address gaps in the literature or any points of disagreement / discordance in findings across studies, and consider what might be contributing to those disparities. Remember that this is a synthesis of evidence that you are considering for application to practice, so definitely include your judgment regarding that in your discussion.
The paper should be set up in the standard format for a scholarly paper with (at the minimum) the following sections (use these as section headings):
Title Page with your name and appropriate information (not included in 10 page limit)
Abstract (not included in 10-page limit). See APA manual for how to write an abstract.
Introduction (brief, includes why this topic is a problem/issue/or needs to be addressed along with your EBP question) The introduction should be no longer than 1 page.
Methods Brief statements about the Search Strategies that you used [about 1 or 2 paragraphs]. Include the (at least 2) search engines and databases that you used, your search terms and any inclusion or exclusion criteria
Review of the literature (this is essentially your “findings”)
Discussion of your findings
Conclusion (Based on the evidence that you present, not your clinical experience or your opinion)
Your References, APA Format (not included in the 10-page limit)
Your Tables of Evidence and PRISMA flowchart [as an Appendix, not included in the 10-page limit) Remember that the table does not substitute for the review of the literature section. You need to write a brief summary of each study in the review of the literature.
The length of your paper depends on the topic and the amount of literature that is available. If your paper becomes long, please reevaluate and see if you could be more concise in your writing. You should be able to do this in NO MORE THAN 10 PAGES, not counting a cover page or the reference list. The paper must be in APA format, including a running head with your name and the page number in it. Submit your paper through the Safe Assignment link in this folder (Assignments >> Synthesis Paper >> Synthesis Paper Assignment green checkmark).
Note: The focus of an evidence synthesis is quite different from a research proposal, so do not confuse the two. Your purpose in this paper is to analyze and synthesize whatever evidence is out there to answer your EBP question. Think of this as laying out the support for your planned practice.
Also, do maintain an objective stance and voice in your presentation of the problem/question and in your critique and synthesis of the evidence. And remember to use a professional writing style much like the various papers that you are reviewing and critiquing.
