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Discern Genetics Quality Criteria

Question 1

Are the aims clear?

No Partially Yes
1 2 3 4 5
The total score is : 0

Hint: Look for a clear indication in the information of

  • what it is about
  • what it is meant to cover (and what topics are excluded)
  • who might find it useful

Note: It may be necessary to search for the aims especially in web based information

If the answer to question 1 is 'No', go directly to question 3

Guidance for question 20

What the question is about and why it is important

Question 20 is an ‘intuitive summary’ of your responses to the preceding 19 questions. All publications will have deficiencies, and it is unlikely that any one publication will rate high on all of the questions. However, after completing all of the questions on DISCERN Genetics, you should have developed some feeling for the overall quality of the publication which will help you decide whether it is a useful and appropriate source of information about your choices about genetic screening and testing.

Rating the question

The guidelines below should help you to rate this question, but your judgement is also very important. It may encourage you to know that during the development and testing of the DISCERN Genetics tool, users independently reached very similar conclusions about the overall quality of the publications they were rating even though we did not provide very specific instructions for this question. DISCERN Genetics has been designed to help you develop your critical skills, so trust your own opinion!

Guidelines for rating the question:

  • High (5) - The publication rated high (4 or above) on the majority of questions. A high overall quality rating indicates the publication is “good” quality - it is a useful and appropriate source of information about choices for genetic testing.
  • Moderate (3) - The publication rated high and low on a similar number of questions, or the majority of questions rated in the mid ranges (3). A moderate overall quality of information about genetic testing but has some limitations. Additional information or support would be needed.
  • Low (1)- The publication rated low (2 or below) on the majority of questions. A low overall quality rating indicates the publication is “poor” quality - it has serious shortcomings and is not a useful or appropriate source of information about genetic testing.