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• The lecture covers Principles of Research and Evidence-Based Practice for NUR 341.
• The lecture outlines the nursing research process.
• Objectives include discussing the nurse's role in research, recognizing research terminology, and discussing the major steps.
• The major steps are the 5 phases of research: conceptual, design and planning, empirical, analytic, and dissemination.

Roles of Nurses in Research

• Nurses can be principle investigators, researchers, investigators or scientists.
• Nurses can be members of a research team.
• Nurses can be patient advocates during studies.
• Nurses can be identifiers of researchable problems.
• Nurses can be evaluators of research findings.
• Nurses can be users of research findings.
• Nurses can be subjects/participants in studies.

Basic Research Terminology:

• A scientific study/investigation/research project can be undertaken by one or more researchers/investigators/scientists.
• The main person directing an investigation undertaken by a research team is the principal investigator (PI) or project director.
• Variables: characteristics or qualities that take on different values from person to object like marital status, age, gender, weight, height, BP, T, etc.
• Operational definitions: before a study progresses, the researcher usually clarifies and defines the variables under investigation.
• Researchers need to specify how variables will be observed and measured.
• Data: the actual values of the study variables constitute the data for a research project.
• Quantitative research uses numerical values.
• Relationships: researchers focus on the relationship between independent and dependent variables.
• Cause-and-effect relationship: when independent variables cause the occurrence, manifestations, or alteration of dependent variables.
• Functional relationship: variables can be linked even if not causally related like age and education.

Definitions and Terms Used in Research

Presumed Cause: Independent Variables Presumed Effect: Dependent Variables

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Continued terms used in Research

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• Hypotheses: A statement of the researcher's expectations of the relationships between the variables under investigation
• It predicts expected outcomes and states the relationships the researcher expects to find as a result of the study.

Phases Of Nursing Research

• Conceptual Phase
• Design and Planning Phase
• Empirical Phase
• Analytic Phase
• Dissemination Phase

Phase 1: Conceptual

• Ask the clinical question in PICOT format.
• PICOT stands for: Patient/population, Intervention or issue of interest, comparison intervention, outcome and time frame.
• Example “In teenagers, how do cognitive-behavioral skills (intervention) compared with yoga (comparison) affect anxiety (outcome) after 6 week's of treatment (time frame)?”

Types of research questions

• Background questions: Asks for general information.
• Focuses on the starting place of the question (what, where, when, why, and how and the outcome of interest
• broader scope than foreground questions
• Foreground questions: Asks for specific scientific evidence about diagnosing, education or treating patients, and specific knowledge.
• PICOT format is recommended for a focused literature search
• Question is more specified.
• Can be Intervention, Prognosis/prediction, Diagnosis, Etiology, and Meaning questions.

Conceptual Phase part 2

• Search for and Collect The Most Relevant Best Evidence-hierarchy of Evidence This helps know if the evidence is scientific or not. -Strongest is Meta-analyses & systematic Reviews
• Weakest is Case Reports

3 Formulating and Delimiting the Problem

• Topic
• Research problem
• Problem Statement: articulates the problem to be addressed and indicates the need for a study
• Research Questions: the queries researchers want to answer in addressing the research problem
• Research Hypothesis: predictions that are tested empirically
• Null hypothesis.
• Research or alternative hypothesis
• Significance of the problem: research should have the potential of contributing meaningfully to nursing knowledge

Before Starting the research, think about:

• Researchability
• Time and timing
• Availability of study’Participants
• Facilities and equipment
• Money
• Researcher Experience and interest

Review of Literature

• Search for and Collect The Most Relevant Best Evidence
• Critically appraise the evidence, rapid critical appraisal, evaluation, and synthesis.
• Done to familiarize researchers with the knowledge base.
• Orinet of what is known and not known reguarding the topic
• Replication of Study
• Identification of relevant theoretical and conceptual framework
• Assistance in interpreting study findings and developing implications and recommendations.
• Critical Appraisal
• Once an environment conducive to EBP is established.
• The confidence and strength of evidence to make a eviedence based change is to combine the level and quality of the evidence. Level of the evidence + Quality of evidence = Strength of evidence (Confidence)
• Position of the eviedence in ( Validity + Reliability + Applicability)

Critical appraisal of external evidence includes these areas of evaluation:

• Are the results of the study valid? (Validity) Did the researchers conduct the study using the best research design and methods possible?
• What are the results? (Reliability)-In quantitative research- Did the intervention work, and if so, how large was the effect? Can the results be generalized?/In qualitative research- Does the research approach fit the purpose of the study?
• Will the results help me in caring for my patients? (Applicability) Are the subjects in the study similar to the patients for whom I care? Are the benefits greater than the risks of treatment? Is the treatment feasible to implement in my practice setting? Would my patients readily accept the treatment and do they have the resources needed?

2nd phase: Design and Planning Phase

• Selecting a research design.
• Identifying the population to be studied.
• Sampling Plan
• Methods to measure research variables
• Finalizing the research study

Key factors of research Design:

• Research aim
• Time Frame
• Control over independent variable
• Measurement of independent and dependent variables

Time frame study designs

• Cross Sectional = Collected once
• Longitudinal = Collected over an extened period
• Trend = Investagations/Different Samples

Contol Over Independent variables

• EXPERIMENTAL = Manipulation/Contorl and ramdomized
• QUASI Experimental - =Manipulation/No controled/ No Ramdomized
• NON EXPERIMENTAL - = No manipulation

Dependent and Independent Variables

• Retrospective Studies begins Dependent variable anf works forwrd to the cause Heitkemper, et. al. (2001), used a Retrospective design in their study of factors contributing to the onset of irritable bowel syndrome.
• Prospective S begins with IV and sees where effect occurs in the future Brook, et. al. (2000) conducted a prospective study to examine clinical and cost outcomes of early versus late tracheostomy in patients

2-Identifying that Population

Population: aggregate or totality of those conforming to a set of specifications like nurses, students, and children.

3- Desinging the Sample Plan

• Sample is a subset of the population
• Sampling is probability or non propabiliy

4 - Methods to mesure search

different measures include:

• biophysiological
• Self reports
• observational
• Quistionares and surveys

Phase 3 empitical phase

• intevention
• Data collection

Phase 4 Analytical

• Data analysis- Data coding and Statistical analysis data interpretation- Process of making sense of the results and examining their implications.
• conclusion and recommendation.

Analysis of data

• data coding and statistical analysis
• process of making aence and exmaining
• conclusion and recomendations

Phase 5 Dissemination Phase

• it provide answers to the questions in the 1st phase of the project. research report/communicating the findings utilization of findings- application to nursing practice and nursing education.
• research report/communicating the findings.