Nursing and Patient Outcomes Identify One Area

Nursing and Patient Outcomes

Identify one area of nursing research that has improved patient outcomes. State the study and its impact on patient care. How have these findings changed your nursing practice?

As the field of nursing research continues to expand, the potential for improving patient outcomes has increased exponentially, with enhancements to efficiency and methodological innovation combining to provide modern nurses with an array of advantages. One area of nursing research which has proven especially productive focuses on the emerging concept of Magnet hospitals, which are "distinguished by their competent managers, decentralized decision making by direct caregivers, chief nurse executives who were directly involved in top management decisions, flexible nurse scheduling, investment in their employees & #8230; and supporting continuing education of the nursing workforce" (Cheung et al., 2008). These Magnet hospitals tend to thrive even during nursing shortages, and by studying the methods employed by managers of these institutions, it is possible to improve the functionality of underperforming hospitals. The findings presented within Nursing Care and Patient Outcomes: International Evidence demonstrate that despite "well documented adverse outcomes in hospitalized patients, hospitals continue to implement restructuring and reengineering policies in an effort to increase efficiency and reduce costs" (Cheung et al., 2008). These conclusions have changed my personal approach to nursing practice because I now recognize the importance of utilizing my skills within the confines of a competently designed hospital management structure.

2.) What similarities and differences can you identify between the nursing process and the research process? Explain your answer.

The traditional methodology employed by empirical researchers is strikingly similar to the overall nursing process, because both involve the professional application of a systematic approach to obtain a predetermined objective. The goal of research is to identify a relevant phenomenon, to postulate an informed hypothesis regarding the nature of this phenomenon, and to devise an experiment capable of objective testing the theory. The goal of the nursing process is to assess a patient's symptoms and condition, to develop an informed diagnosis concerning the nature of the patient's illness, and to apply various treatment methods intended to maximize the patient's comfort during recovery. When one considers how "the theoretical basis from which the nursing process was derived, together with the theoretical developments in diagnostic and intervention studies, has established the nursing process as a key element of the nurse's role in research, education and practice" (Mason & Attree, 1997), it becomes clear that competency as a nursing professional can be vastly improved by developing effective research skills.

3.) Nursing research is used to study a dilemma or a problem in nursing. Examine a problem you have seen in nursing. Why should it be studied? Justify your rationale.

One of the most prevalent problems I have personally observed while working in the nursing profession is the alarming scarcity in terms of nurses actively working to attain doctoral education. The overall shortage of nurses, across America and in all capacities throughout the profession, is only exacerbated by the unwillingness of many young nurses to embrace the prospect of becoming full-time, tenured faculty within the university setting. Empirical research has consistently indicated that "nursing is facing a shortage of new faculty at a critical point when the current cadre of faculty is still building toward the level of preparation needed to meet academic norms" (Hinshaw, 2001), which is why I am alarmed to hear so many of my peers dismiss the idea of attaining their doctorate degree. This relatively recent phenomenon merits additional study because preventative measures must be taken to prevent the current nursing shortage from reaching the point of no return.

4.) The theoretical foundations of qualitative and quantitative methods are very different, but many researchers believe both methods should be used in the research study to increase validity and reliability. What advantages or disadvantages do you see in using both types of methods in a nursing study? Support your answer with current evidence-based literature.