Introduction to Nursing Research
A systematic inquiry designed to develop trustworthy evidence about issues of importance to nurses and their clients.
What is nursing research?
Remember it guides nursing practice.
The organization of a research report into four main sections: the Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion sections.
What is IMRAD format?
Rationale: Many research articles follow an organization called the IMRAD format. This format organizes content into four main sections—Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion. The paper is preceded by a title and an abstract and concludes with references.
"Older patients are more likely to fall than younger patients." This is an example of what type of hypothesis.
What is a Directional Hypothesis?
Rationale: A directional hypothesis predicts the direction of a relationship, whereas a non-directional hypothesis predicts the existence of a relationship and does not state a direction. A null hypothesis predicts an ABSENCE of relationship. (Week 2 slides)
An abstract generalization that explains how phenomena are interrelated.
What is a Theory?
Rationale: As classically defined, theories consist of two or more concepts and a set of propositions that form a logically interrelated system, providing a mechanism for deducing hypotheses. (page 123 in the textbook)
Translating research findings into real-world applications.
What is Research Utilization?
Example: The nurses on the obstetric unit reviewed existing literature regarding the utilization of peanut balls in epiduralized women. Based on their findings they began incorporating peanut balls after a laboring woman received an epidural.
"Questionnaires were coded for confidentiality purposes and to protect the identity of participants." This statement belongs in what section of a written journal article.
What is the methods section?
Rationale:
The method section describes the methods used to answer the research questions. In a quantitative study, the methods section usually describes the following, which may be presented in labeled subsections:
WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF THINGS THAT BELONG IN EACH SECTION OF IMRAD
Original research, survey data or interviews are considered this type of source.
What is a primary source?
Rationale: Primary sources are descriptions of studies written by the researchers who conducted them. Secondary sources are descriptions of studies prepared by someone else like textbooks.
Framework based on the theory used in a study.
What is theoretical framework?
Rationale: A framework is the conceptual underpinning of a study. Not every study is based on a theory or model, but every study has a framework. In a study based on a theory, the framework is called the theoretical framework.
What is the lived experience of newly diagnosed diabetic patients? This is an example of what type of research study.
What is Qualitative research?
Rationale: Qualitative research is the investigation of phenomena, typically in an in-depth and holistic fashion, through the collection of rich narrative materials using a flexible research design. (Chapter 1)
"In this study, repair of equipment and physical space rearrangement along with behavior modification training and warning signs ("Please be silent in the intensive care unit") were effective in reducing noise levels." This statement belongs to which section of a journal article.
What is the discussion section?
Rationale: In the discussion, the researcher presents conclusions about the meaning and implications of the findings, i.e., what the results mean, why things turned out the way they did, how the findings fit with other evidence, and how the results can be used in practice. (text page 63)
The grand narratives or interpretive translations produced from the integration or comparison of findings from qualitative studies.
What is a Metasynthesis?
Rationale: Metasynthesis integrates and amplifies findings across qualitative studies. Meta-analysis integrates findings across quantitative studies statistically.
Deals with abstractions (concepts) that are assembled because of their relevance to a common theme.
What is a model?
Rationale: Conceptual models provide a conceptual perspective on interrelated phenomena. (See textbook and ppt)
The nursing administration wants to improve hospital-wide nurse-led diabetic education to reduce 30-day hospital admission rates. This type of review would be best used to identify evidence-based practice.
What is a systematic review?
Rationale: A rigorous synthesis of research findings on a particular research question, using systematic sampling and data collection procedures and a formal protocol (Chapter 1). Remember a literature review is broad and does not identify search strategy, inclusion or exclusion criteria. The goal of the question was specific to education strategy focused on reducing 30-day readmission for diabetic patients.
A study was conducted to identify the odds of being diagnosed with type II diabetes within ten years of gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Diabetes was measured using a serum Hemoglobin A1C. This is an example of what type of variable definition.
What is an operational definition?
Rationale: An operational definition - The definition of a concept or variable in terms of the procedures by which it is to be measured. Whereas a conceptual definition is the abstract or theoretical meaning of a concept being studied.
This action should be taken before one develops a research question.
What is identify a problem to research?
Rationale: Researchers often begin with interests in a broad topic area and then develop a more specific researchable problem. (see page 93 in the textbook)
Purpose of using a model or theory.
What is to ensure that the research methodology aligns with the research question and conceptual underpinnings of the construct being studied?
Rationale: High-quality studies typically achieve a high level of conceptual integration. This happens when the research methods fit the chosen research questions, when the questions are consistent with existing evidence, and when there is a plausible conceptual rationale for expected outcomes—including a rationale for any hypotheses or interventions. (Chapter 8)
A practice that involves making clinical decisions based on the integration of the best available evidence, most often from disciplined research, with clinical expertise and patient preferences.
What is Evidence-Based Practice?
Example: What maternal positioning techniques are registered nurses utilizing to best facilitate fetal descent and rotation?
This is the highest level of evidence.
What is a systematic review?
Rationale: (Figure 2.1 in text) The highest level of evidence is the systematic review followed by RCT, then quasi-experimental, then single case-control study, then single cross-sectional study, qualitative study and finally expert opinion.
It is important to complete this when looking for a gap in knowledge.
What is conduct a literature review?
Rationale: A literature review provides a summary of the current evidence on a topic, illuminates the significance of the new study, and are often intertwined with the problem statement as part of the argument for why the study is needed.
When conducting a study with pregnant women as the study population, the IRB requires additional measures because pregnant women are considered this category of subjects.
What are vulnerable populations?
Rationale: The rights of special vulnerable groups, however, may need extra protection. Vulnerable populations may be incapable of giving fully informed consent (e.g., cognitively impaired people) or may be at high risk for unintended side effects (e.g., pregnant women).