Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: eHealth is the use of information and communication technology in the context of healthcare and health research. Recently, there has been a rise in the number of eHealth modalities and the frequency in which they are used to deliver technology-assisted self-management interventions for people living with chronic pain. However, there has been little or no research directly comparing these eHealth modalities. Objective: The aim of the current systematic review with a network meta-analysis is to directly compare the effectiveness of eHealth modalities in the context of chronic pain. Methods: Randomised controlled trials (N>20 per arm) that investigated technologically delivered interventions for adults with chronic pain were included. Data were extracted on pain severity, psychological distress and HRQoL, and the risk of bias was assessed. Studies were classified by their primary mode of delivery. Pair-wise meta-analyses were undertaken and a network meta-analysis was conducted to generate indirect comparisons of modalities for reducing pain severity. Results: The search returned 18,470 studies with 18,349 excluded (duplicates [2,310]; title and abstract [16,039]). Of the remaining papers, 30 studies with 4,595 randomised participants were included in the review. Rankings tentatively indicate that telephone supported interventions are the most effective, with a 46% chance that telephone intervention was the best modality, followed by studies delivered via interactive voice response, internet and virtual reality. Conclusions: This current systematic review with a network meta-analysis generated comparisons between previously un-compared technological modalities to determine which delivered the most effective interventions for the reduction of pain severity in chronic pain patients. There are limitations with this review; in particular, the underrepresented nature of some eHealth modalities included in the analysis. However, in the event that the review is regularly updated a clear ranking of eHealth modalities for the reduction of pain severity will emerge. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO: Registration database number: CRD42016035595

The current research examined the effects of a critical thinking (CT) e-learning course taught through argument mapping (AM) on measures of CT ability. Seventy-four undergraduate psychology students were allocated to either an AM-infused CT e-learning course or a no instruction control group and were tested both before and after an 8-week intervention period on CT ability using the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment. Results revealed that participation in the AM-infused CT course significantly enhanced overall CT ability and all CT sub-scale abilities from pre- to post-testing and that post-test performance was positively correlated with motivation towards learning and dispositional need for cognition. In addition, AM-infused CT course participants exhibited a significantly larger gain in both overall CT and in argument analysis (a CT subscale) than controls. There were no effects of training on either motivation for learning or need for cognition. However, both the latter variables were correlated with CT ability at post-testing. Results are discussed in light of research and theory on the best practices of providing CT instruction through argument mapping and e-learning environments.

Though a wide array of definitions and conceptualisations of critical thinking have been offered in the past, further elaboration on some concepts is required, particularly with respect to various factors that may impede an individual’s application of critical thinking, such as in the case of reflective judgment. These barriers include varying levels of epistemological engagement or understanding, issues pertaining to heuristic-based thinking and intuitive judgment, as well as emotional and biased thinking. The aim of this review is to discuss such barriers and evaluate their impact on critical thinking in light of perspectives from research in an effort to reinforce the ‘completeness’ of extant critical thinking frameworks and to enhance the potential benefits of implementation in real-world settings. Recommendations and implications for overcoming such barriers are also discussed and evaluated.