Editor’s Note – May 2021

Last year, as we all sought to understand the evolving news surrounding the SARS-CoV-2 virus, even the nonscience-minded among us became focused on research findings. Too often though, research results came to us in bits and pieces filtered through the media that lacked details about the data collection and limitations of the studies. At best the absence of this context makes it very difficult to apply a critical approach as a consumer of research, and at worst it can lead to drawing false conclusions from a handful of observations from a research study. Similarly, with increased emphasis on evidence-based practice, clinicians must be able to evaluate O&P studies they use to inform their patient care. This month we pull back the curtain to look at some of the underlying assumptions with which we approach research and education.