Nursing research: concepts, methods, and applications

Exercises

Describe the role of rigor in nursing research.

The extent to which nursing research methods are carefully and strictly conducted in order enhance the quality of the evidence that the study yields. This is even critical if casual inferences about relationships are of value. In addition, rigor ensures that threats to validity are minimized, assessed and considered during the study.

Discuss three sampling methods for nursing research. Include the positives and negatives of using each in nursing research.

Convenience Sampling

This method entails using available people as study participants. For example, a nurse conducting research of pregnant HIV- AIDS patients relies on convenient sample. The disadvantage of this method is that the available participants might not be representative of the population of interest with regard to critical variables.

Quota Sampling

This method involves the researcher indentifying the sample strata in a bid to determine the number required from each stratum. The researcher can ensure that various segments are represented in the sample by looking at information at the population characteristics. One advantage of using this method is that it does not require sophisticated skill, but the disadvantage is that it can present a bias sample.

3. Purposive Sampling

This method involves the researcher hand picking the study participants. The researcher can purposely select population judged to be representative of the population under study. The advantage of this method is that it is best used for experimental purposes such as presenting and evaluating newly developed instruments. On the other hand, it does not provide external means of assessing the typicalness of the participants.

Describe two reasons for doing research for a specific purpose.

Doing research for a specific purpose is done to guide decisions in a variety of situations. It is done to assists decision makers in choosing a course of action. In addition, the other reason for doing research for a specific purpose is assess the effectiveness of a program or a policy such as clinical intervention.

Describe how to recognize rigor in quantitative studies for implementation into practice.

Rigor in quantitative studies is recognized by how scrupulous and meticulous research methods are carried out. First, the study controls sources of variance that may affect the dependent measures leading to misleading results. Second, the accuracy of measurements of the independent and dependent variables is a hallmark of rigor.

Discuss a specific reason for including evidence-based practice into advanced nursing roles.

Evidence-based practice involves the decision on how to promote care through integration of the best evidence available from research and using practitioners expertise as well as available resources. It takes into consideration, the characteristics, state, needs values and preference of those who are most likely to be affected (Polit & Beck, 2008, p. 338).

This approach is used in specifying the process in which nurses need to make decision through identifying available evidence in areas of practice. The main aim here is to eliminate unsound and overly risky practices and instead apply those with better results by meticulously observing, enumerating, and analyzing patients thus replacing anecdotal case description. Advanced nursing roles are firmly based on nursing philosophy; their major objective is to improve patient care. More important is that these roles are beneficial not only to the individual nurse, the profession as a whole but to the patients. Some say that evidence-based practice in helps update knowledge of nurses and that it supplements clinical judgment, saves time and improves care (Drisko, 2004 ). It is also argued that it is unethical to use treatment methods that are not known to work. There are many arguments that support evidence-based practice, but the ultimate reason that unifies all these arguments is that evidence-based practice is included in advanced nursing role to fill the gap between nursing theory, research, and practice for the improvement of health care service and specifically improved patient outcomes. This is the implementation of all the research into nursing practice and specifically advanced nursing. The goal here is to enhance the scientific base of professional practice in nursing.

II. Exercises

Describe five key factors in the data collection process.

The researcher has to identify data collection goals. Data collection goals will help identify the type of data required to complete the research successfully. This advance planning also helps to alleviate disappointment during analysis.

Data collection plan is also an important factor in the process. Here, careful thought is given to the kind of evidence the researcher wants to provide.

Data collection methods should be identified for the variables. Here the researcher identifies and validates the potential data collection instruments.

Data collection, which is basically gathering of information for the purposes of the research.

Measurement system will determine the reliability and validity of the evidence.

Discuss data collection assessment.

It is important to evaluate the quality of data obtained with structured instruments.

Measurement of data involves assigning numbers that show the quantity of an attribute of an object. Here researchers establish the use of techniques that are isomorphic with reality. The scores obtained possess components of both true score and error of measurements. One of the basic criteria for assessing structured instruments is reliability.

"The higher the reliability of an instrument, the lower the amount of error in obtained scores" (Polit & Beck, 2008, p. 471). Stability of reliability is evaluated by test-retest process. In addition, validity is an important aspect of assessment as it shows the extent to which an instrument measures what it is intended to measure.

Compare and contrast collection of structured and unstructured data.

Structured data collection is a process involving a fixed method of data gathering. This process is commonly used in quantitative research. In contrast, unstructured data collection process is rather flexible and mostly used in qualitative research. However, despite the fact that the two processes gather different types of data, they adapt the same principle, in both processes there must be an observer, the participants, population, data collection and analysis.

Discuss ethical issues in data collection.

The researcher need to perform the study for intended purpose and not any other self-serving reason. The researcher should respect and maintain confidentiality of collected data; information given by participant or respondent should be guarded and is the researcher's primary responsibility.

Discuss quality management in the evaluation of nursing research. Utilize a journal article to provide an example of how quality management was or was not used in the evaluation process.