Member\'s World Is Very Important and Provides

¶ … member's world is very important and provides the big picture. Consequently, the underlying philosophy suggests that the most meaningful approach to this type of study may be an ethnographic approach.

In this study, consistent with qualitative studies, there was no stated hypothesis to be tested. However, it was obvious that the researchers explored what might be considered to be a loose hypothesis. This loose hypothesis considered the link between nurses' attitudes toward answering the call bell and patient perception of quality care.

In qualitative research the concept of a strict independent variable is not present. The variable that can loosely be considered independent would be communication which consisted of a process. The process included answering the call bell, communicating the patient's requests and following through with the request.

The dependent variable in the study would be the patient perception of quality care. The suggestion would be that the nurse's response to the call bell influences the patient's perception of care. In this study however there is no testing of the "hypotheses," what occurs however is an in depth understanding of the phenomenon.