Critical Evaluation of Evidence

Running head: CRITICAL EVALUATION
Title page (for all students except those in CANBERRA)
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Unit: HLSC122 Semester 2, 2017
Assessment 3: Critical Evaluation of Evidence
Word count: 1289

CRITICAL EVALUATION 1
Introduction
Evidence based practice is of utmost importance owing to the fact that current
evidences related to health interventions are judiciously used to formulate best
decisions that will help in providing a client-centred holistic care. The smart drugs
mentioned in the case scenario are used to treat Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
which is a neuro-developmental disorder. The common symptoms are less
concentration and restless behaviour (Arnold, Hurt & Lofthouse, 2013). Wasim, a
student has observed that all his university friends are talking about using smart drugs
to improve their academic performance in examinations (Burgard et al., 2013). Although
Wasim knows about the therapeutic benefits of the drugs on ADHD, he aims to discover
their probable role in academic performance improvement, by thoroughly investigating 2
articles. The first article is a qualitative study that will show the association between
examination performance psycho-stimulants and the second article will show the effects
of smart drugs on executive functioning of university students.
Body
PART A
Hildt, E., Lieb, K., & Franke, A. G. (2014). Life context of pharmacological academic
performance enhancement among university students - a qualitative approach.
BMC Medical Ethics, 15(1), 23-23. doi:10.1186/1472-6939-15-23
Authorship- the authors are well educated to carry out the research as Elisabeth
Hildt works as a neuroethic expert. Klaus Lieb and Andreas Günter Franke belong to
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CRITICAL EVALUATION 2
the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre Mainz
(Germany). Franke is a trainee under the guidance of the former.
Research Aims- The study aimed to investigate the effects of illicit and
prescribed psycho-stimulants on academic performance. The effects of drugs such as,
methylphenidate and amphetamine on examination performance were assessed. The
student experiences were measured on administration of smart-drugs. Furthermore,
influence of several factors such as academic and peer pressure on academic
performance were also measured (Hildt, Lieb & Franke, 2014).
Design- Students were recruited from the University of Mainz campus, followed
by conduction of semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The questions focused on
illicit or prescribed consumption of stimulants, individual perception of their effects on
academics and any observable negative effects. After being transcribed verbatim, the
responses were analysed systematically using a qualitative approach. The
transcriptions were analysed by 2 raters who were blind to the study. The categories of
responses were selected for final analysis on which both the raters showed agreement.
Findings- 18 out of 22 interviews were analysed. 4 students were reportedly
under the use of prescribed stimulants. Rest were involved in illicit drug usage. The
average age for the use of first stimulants was found to be 20.4 ± 2.88 years.The
stimulants were used for facilitating exam preparation, gaining study time, and pursuing
individual projects, out of academic domains (a career in music along with university
study). Time pressure and performance affected the intake. Reports suggested
increased in motivation and reduction in sleep time after drug usage (Farah et al.,
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