Matrix Worksheet – Evidence-Based Project, Part 1: Identifying Research Methodologies Example Solution

Matrix Worksheet

Evidence-based practice (EBP) uses clinical inquiry to acquire evidence-based answers to improve practice. In this matrix worksheet, I will compare the various research articles that I selected from a literature search following a clinical inquiry. My clinical issue of interest was gastrointestinal upset after the use of antibiotics and other acute disorders. Antibiotics especially the broad-spectrum ones kill several types of bacteria in the gut and the system. This can lead to eradication or reduction in the normal flora of the gastrointestinal tract.

The reduction of this natural source of defense in the gut can lead to the proliferation and virulence of pathogenic bacteria. Probiotics are exogenous regimens either containing commensals or their substrates that maintain the normal flora in the body (Wang et al., 2020). This clinical inquiry aims at assessing the benefit of prophylactic administration of probiotic foods to prevent gastrointestinal effects of antibiotics used on the gut such as gastrointestinal upset.

My PICOT question stated: “Among patients with gastrointestinal retiled to microbial infections (P), does the use of probiotic foods (I) confer health benefits in improving their health (O) after 3 months (T)?” Several sources were searched and the following four articles were sued to provide evidence-based answers to the clinical questions.

   Full citation of the selected article

   Article #1

   Article #2

   Article #3

   Article #4

   Skrzydło-Radomańska, B., Prozorow-Król, B., Cichoż-Lach, H., Majsiak, E., Bierła, J. B., Kanarek, E., Sowińska, A., & Cukrowska, B. (2021). The effectiveness and safety of multi-strain probiotic preparation in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: A randomized controlled study. Nutrients, 13(3), 756. https://doi.org/10.

   3390/nu13030756

   Hibberd, A. A., Yde, C. C., Ziegler, M. L., Honoré, A. H., Saarinen, M. T., Lahtinen, S., Stahl, B., Jensen, H. M., & Stenman, L. K. (2019). Probiotic or synbiotic alters the gut microbiota and metabolism in a randomized controlled trial of weight management in overweight adults. Beneficial Microbes, 10(2), 121–135. https://doi.org/10.

   3920/BM2018.0028

   Rui, X., & Ma, S.-X. (2020). A retrospective study of probiotics for the treatment of children with antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Medicine, 99(23), e20631. https://doi.org/10.1097/

   MD.0000000000020631

   Arnold, L. E., Luna, R. A., Williams, K., Chan, J., Parker, R. A., Wu, Q., Hollway, J. A., Jeffs, A., Lu, F., Coury, D. L., Hayes, C., & Savidge, T. (2019). Probiotics for gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life in autism: A placebo-controlled pilot trial. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 29(9), 659–669. https://doi.org/10.

   1089/cap.2018.0156