A systematic review of injury/illness prevention and loss control ...

Q4. Were time-based comparisons used? (choose only one answer)a) Yes; pre-postEvaluations of the intervention took place at two time points – before (or at thebeginning stages of the intervention) and after (or towards the end) the intervention.b) Unclearc) NoEvaluation took place at only one time point during the study, i.e. the study is crosssectionalor post-intervention only.Q5. Was a random intervention allocation described?Inadequate description of the exposure/intervention allocation strategy makes itimpossible to reproduce the intervention in another population. This should be clearlystated in the study to allow for interventions to be reproducible by others. Effects ofconfounding may be reduced when participants are matched. However, randomallocation of treatment/intervention conditions is the preferred scientific method as it ismost likely to control for confounding.a) Yes; randomStudy participants, work units or organizations are described as randomly receivingthe intervention. Randomization of intervention conditions is typically preferredbecause it avoids systematic confounding by known and unknown factors.b) Unclearc) NoQ6. Is the research question clearly stated?If the aim of the study is not clearly stated then results are likely of limited value. Aclear, explicit statement of objectives should be included in the study.a) Yesb) Unclearc) NoQ7. Please indicate which levels of recruitment were described (check all that apply)Recruitment is considered the effort by the investigator to obtain participation byspecific groups or individuals. Workplace interventions can typically occur at differentlevels. It is important to distinguish between the various levels so that results can beinterpreted in relation to the level at which interventions were applied. Also,differences in recruitment strategies for individuals, groups and workplaces could leadto differences in characteristics of the participants.a) Employees/workersb) Department/supervisorsc) Organizations/workplaced) Uncleare) Not DescribedA systematic review of injury and illness prevention and loss controlPrograms (IPCs)67