Research and Reading Literature

¶ … Sanford, et al. (2011), open-ended interviews and a qualitative method were used, in order to make sure the person giving the information understood that he or she was providing personal information in detail, as opposed to just choosing from a yes/no option.

The setting for the study was the homes of the people who were interviewed, the library, or places of employment. This kept them close to the people they needed to help, along with allowing them to feel more comfortable and relaxed while they were doing the interviews.

The sample of 20 people was adequate for the type of research design that was collected. It is often not necessary to have a large sample set for a qualitative study of this type.

The data collection procedure for this study was audiotaped interviews with open-ended questions. Memos and notes were also taken, and the interviews lasted from 45 minutes to two hours, including the time it took to collect demographic information from the participants.

5) The authors were comfortable with the reliability and validity of their data collection and analysis, because it came from first-hand accounts of caring for people with HF.

6) Demographic information included gender, marital status, race, employment status, income level, relationship to HF patient, and whether they lived in the same house as the patient.

7) Variables involved each stage of decision-making for a HF caregiver.

8) Data was analyzed by using NVivo qualitative software, and data was coded into the program line by line from independent researchers.

9) Tables were used to convey information, which was understandable and meaningful.

10) The authors' conclusions showed that decision-making is a non-linear process, deeply affected by what the HF patient needs as he or she moves through life. That fell in line with what was examined, and the information that the authors collected during the study.

11) To be sure that the subjects were giving true informed consent, the HF manager talked with them to gauge their interest in the study. Then the PI explained the study to each subject and provided them with a letter of explanation to take with them, to which they could refer at a later date if they had questions. Oral consent to a chart review was required.

12) The setting for the study was in the patients' homes, where they were interviewed.

13) For the research design that was selected, the sample was adequate. There were 102 patients who agreed to be part of the study and who were deemed qualified to do so.

14) Data was collected through interviews with the patients in their homes. This was done 10 days after discharge from the hospital, and again 90 days later. Both of these interviews were conducted by a registered nurse, all of whom were not part of the discharge process.

15) The authors addressed the reliability and validity of their data collection and analysis of the instruments used by doing a pilot study to ensure they were providing proper data gathering and using instruments that would offer them verifiable results.