Quasi-Experimental Study on Colorectal Cancer Nursing Interventions
This paper critically examines a quasi-experimental interventional pilot study by Reiter et al. (2021) published in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. The study investigates whether systematic nutritional counselling and oncology nurse counselling improve self-management of nutritional behaviour and side effects among colorectal cancer patients. The paper identifies and explains the study's core methodological components, including its research design, problem and purpose statements, independent and dependent variables, the nature of the intervention, and the guiding research question and hypothesis. It serves as a structured research study selection and analysis exercise for an Evidence-Based Practice RN-BSN course.
- Introduction and Study Overview: Identifies the selected study and its source
- Methodology and Research Design: Explains quasi-experimental design and subject assignment
- Problem Statement and Purpose: Unmet nursing needs in colorectal cancer care
- Variables and Intervention: Defines independent, dependent variables and intervention
- Research Question and Hypothesis: States the guiding question and study hypothesis
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper clearly delineates each methodological component using explicit labels (e.g., METHODOLOGY/DESIGN, PROBLEM STATEMENT), making it easy to follow the analytical structure required in an evidence-based practice course.
- Definitions are provided before application — for example, the paper explains the distinction between true experimental and quasi-experimental designs before applying that distinction to the selected study.
- The paper stays tightly focused on one source study, demonstrating the ability to extract and interpret core research elements from a single peer-reviewed article.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates structured research appraisal — the ability to systematically decompose a published study into its constituent methodological parts. Rather than summarizing findings, the student identifies the design rationale, variable types, and hypothesis formation, showing foundational skills required for evidence-based nursing practice.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized as a labeled component analysis: each section addresses one discrete element of the selected study (design, problem, purpose, variables, intervention, and hypothesis). This mirrors the structured appraisal frameworks commonly used in nursing education. The format is concise, with each section containing one to three focused sentences or a short paragraph.
Introduction and Study Overview
This paper presents a structured analysis of a selected research study for an Evidence-Based Practice RN-BSN course. The study examined is: Reiter, M., Gerken, M., Lindberg-Scharf, P., Fuerst, A., Liebig-Horl, G., Ortmann, O., Eberl, I., & Bartholomeyczik, S. (2021). Health services research in colorectal cancer: A quasi-experimental interventional pilot study on in and out-patient oncology. Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, 147(1), 1789–1802. DOI: 10.1007/s00432-020-03454-w
Methodology and Research Design
The study adopts an experimental methodology with a quasi-experimental research design. In an experimental study, the researcher manipulates the independent variable to observe resultant changes in the dependent variable. An experimental study may take the form of a true experiment or a quasi-experimental study. A quasi-experimental study is one that tests an intervention's causal impact but does not involve the random assignment of subjects. Instead, assignment is based on a non-random criterion.
In this study, subjects were assigned to either the treatment or control group based on their date of treatment (Reiter et al., 2021). Those who received treatment between May 2015 and August 2016 were assigned to the intervention group, while those treated between January 2014 and April 2015 were assigned to the control group (Reiter et al., 2021).
Problem Statement and Purpose
The study seeks to address the problem of unmet health needs among colorectal cancer patients. Evidence shows that colorectal cancer patients often lack nurse counselling support to effectively manage symptoms and side effects (Reiter et al., 2021). Furthermore, despite weight loss being a common occurrence among colorectal cancer patients, most lack access to nutritional support, resulting in poor health outcomes. With the growing global incidence of cancer, it is important to develop interventions aimed at addressing these patient care deficits.
The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of nutritional and oncology nurse counselling as an intervention for improving nutritional behaviour and side effects management among colorectal cancer patients.
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