Examine clinical guidelines or practice protocols from your specialty area then complete the protocol evaluation activity by following these instructions:

1. Select a practice protocol related to your clinical setting. These may be from your agencys policy and procedure manual used in your practice.

2. Determine who wrote the protocol and request an interview with one or more individuals who were involved in developing the protocol. Interview questions may include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Can you explain how protocols are developed in your agency?

2. What specific information or data was used to develop this protocol?

3. Are there any references you can identify that would give a better understanding of the rationale for the practices used in the protocol?

4. What rating system was used to critique the protocol guidelines?

3. After the interview, categorize the sources of knowledge identified by the interviewee (e.g., authority, experience, research-based). Be specific.

4. After the interview, you may not have enough information on which to rate the protocol. If, for example, the interviewee has not provided you with sources from the literature, you will have to do a search to determine whether research exists to support the protocol you are assessing. This does not have to be an exhaustive review, yet you should be able to determine whether there is valid research there to support your rating.

5. Then, using the rating scale, assess the protocol for its validity in application to practice.

6. Complete a Brief Evaluation of the Protocol Outline by following these steps:

1. Brief description of the protocol.

2. Title and credentials of the individuals who developed the protocol.

3. Parameters of the literature search and a summary of how the protocol was developed.

4. Your summary conclusion about the types and quality of knowledge upon which the protocol was based with supporting rationale.

5. A brief description of the AGREE rating scale used to assess the protocol.

6. Your assessment of the validity of the selected protocol.