Nursing Research: An Introduction

Introduction to Nursing Research

• Focuses on nursing practice, research, and key terms in quantitative and qualitative research
• Addresses the application of evidence-based practice in nursing

Definition of Research

• A systematic process using the scientific method
• Aids in recognizing relationships and differences to answer a question
• The scientific method uses a structured approach to formulate questions and find answers in a research project

Definition of Nursing Research

• A systematic investigation aimed at expanding knowledge on important issues within the nursing profession
• Covers nursing practice, education, administration, and information

Types of Research

• Basic Research: Expands the existing base of scientific knowledge
• Applied Research: Solves specific, practical problems or answers specific questions

Sources of Nursing Research

• Nursing research primarily comes from two main sources: academia and healthcare settings
• Academia: A key focus is evaluating educational programs, technologies, and instructional design
• Healthcare settings: Nursing practice is necessary to serve as a source

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Defined

• EBP involves decision-making or problem-solving that uses best evidence, patient preferences and values, and clinical expertise
• Three essential components of EBP are: best available evidence, patient preferences and values, and nurse's clinical expertise

Best Evidence: Focus of EBP

• Emphasizes decisions are based on research, not tradition or expert opinion
• Involves identifying and evaluating the most relevant research when solving problems

Key Terms in Quantitative and Qualitative Research

• Focuses on differing approaches to extracting information from research
• Terms are broken into categories: concept, quantitative term, qualitative term

Concept

• Person contributing information: Information provided by participants
• Person undertaking the study: Researcher investigator
• What is being investigated: Concepts, constructs, variables in quantitative studies; Phenomena concepts in qualitative studies
• Information gathered: numerical data for quantitative, narrative descriptions for qualitative

More Key Terms

• Connections between concepts: Quantitative (relationships), qualitative (patterns)
• Logical Reasoning: Quantitative (deductive), qualitative (inductive)

Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

• Deductive reasoning progresses from general concepts to specific conclusions, testing an existing theory (a top-down approach)
• Inductive reasoning moves from specific findings to broader generalizations, developing a theory (a bottom-up approach)

Ethics in Nursing Research Defined

• Ethics refers to moral principles governing a person's behavior, which is important to address when conducting research because research can impact real lives
• Research ethics is doing what’s morally and legally right in research
• Research ethics is a set of guidelines for conducting and sharing scientific findings responsibly

Ethical Principles in Research

• Three fundamental principles: beneficence, respect for human dignity, and justice
• Beneficence encompasses freedom from harm and exploitation

Beneficence

• Requires establishing a positive risk-benefit ratio
• Risks of the research should not outweigh the expected benefits
• Researchers should not inflict harm or expose people to unnecessary risk

Freedom from Exploitation

• Participants should be assured that their participation or information provided won’t be used against them
• For example, economic circumstances shared shouldn't lead to loss of public health benefits; drug use confessions shouldn’t be exposed to criminal authorities

Respect for Human Dignity

• Emphasizes freedom of choice: participants have the right to accept or reject participation

Autonomy

• Includes respect for the person demonstrated by consent, preventing harm, and preserving privacy

Right to Self-Determination

• Participants' autonomy should be respected by allowing them to make choices about research participation
• Researchers must provide safeguards against harm and abuse
• Participants must have sufficient information to make an informed, enlightened decision

Informed Consent

• Informed consent includes ensuring that participants have adequate information about the research and the ability to agree or decline voluntarily
• A fully completed informed consent must be taken from the participants
• For a fetus, child, or inability to give informed consent, consent may be obtained from parents or legal guardians
• Consent should always be obtained in writing

Right to Full Disclosure

• Researchers must transparently disclose the study's nature, the right to refuse participation, researcher responsibilities, risks, and benefits

The Principle of Justice

• Involves an obligation to treat each person according to moral rules (fairness)
• Requires fair treatment: study participation should be based on research needs, not vulnerability

Right to Fair Treatment

• Involves the right of privacy, and the need for researchers to show clear evidence of confidential data

Right to Privacy

• Requires transparency, ensuring personal info stays confidential, and securing the data from unauthorized access
• Because almost all research with humans involves interfering into personal lives, the research should be as unintrusive as possible

Privacy and Confidentiality

• Participants have a right to expect that any data is confidential
• Occurs through anonymity or following other confidentiality procedures

The Scientific Research Process

• Steps of scientific research include identifying the research problem, creating a research design, and drawing a conclusion for the chosen research questions

Research Design

• A plan that details how the study will be conducted
• Involves the researcher choosing a design that best tests their study hypothesis or answers the research questions

Purpose of Research Design

• Organizes all aspects of a study, starting from choosing the sample and concluding with data analysis
• The type of data will also be collected, and the means used to obtain this data and how analyzed

Identifying the Population and Sample

• Formulation of study questions, reviewing related material, solidifies the study plan
• Designates complete sets of individuals (population) or segments (sample)

Population and Samples

• A population shares common characteristics
• The population is the group the researcher is interested in making broad statements about conclusions or generalizing from
• Smaller samples have better testing ability

Characteristics of a Sample

• A sample is a group from which you will collect data
• A sample must be smaller than the population
• The researcher must specify the broad and actual population available

Broad Population Defined

• The broad population is synonymous with the terms "target population" and "universe"
• The actual population is described as the accessible population

Pilot Studies

• It is a scale practice of the study, through which the researcher can learn a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of his research plan
• The aim is to ascertain design accuracy, test the sample, and improve feasibility

Interpreting the findings

• Conducted after after data analysis
• Examines if data supports research questions and hypotheses

Communicating the Research Design

• Communicate results
• The last step in the process
• Make the study findings known and accessible to other researchers

Research Problems Defined

• A research problem is a situation needing a solution, improvement, or alteration
• Research problem statement gives a clear, concise description of the issues a problem-solving team needs to address

Sources of the Problems

• Experience and prior research are both common
• Ideas can come from both interpersonal sources and previously tested theories

Formulating the Research

• The process should identify a specific area of research from which to draw and define a topic from that area
• The selected topic's scope should be narrowed and refined
• The issue should be evaluated for relevance, ability to be researched, operability and feasibility

What Makes a Well-Crafted Research Problem Statement?

• Express a relationship between variables, not merely state a situation or describe a concept
• Well crafted problems can have clear and identifiable issues
• The problem should be clearly stated and can be applicable
• There should also be clear details of a specific population

Variables Explained

• A central idea in research is to have variables
• A characteristics that has various qualities
• Take two quantities or more
• Can change between people, place and time

Independent Variable

• A variable whose changes do not depend on the others
• Are one of two types: test and control
• Are one variable or result with dependent variable

Dependent Variable

• Defined as the thing being studied
• Depends on the conditions set in the independent variables
• Can only have one result

Example Variable Conditions

• Marital status
• Weight
• Height
• Income
• Race
• Origin

Relationships of Variables

• Numerical variables consist of numbers such as temperatures and quantities
• An categorical variable is open to interpretation with ranges such as gender and origin

Hypothesis and introduction

• Formal statement to expect the relationship of the study
• Helps objective and the search process including expected results
• It may not be used if clearly manipulated or defined during the population

Hypothesis Continued

• tentative explanation of the relationship between 2 variables
• Indicates what to look for within the system and the variables
• Used to determine dietary compliance
• Can test to see if there is an increase in dietary restrictions

What Makes A Good Hypothesis

• An applicable test
• Has concrete evidence
• Provides variables
• Can be tested
• Stays within data boundaries

Different Aspects of Testing

• Take note if variables may be depended or independent
• The dependent relies on a relationship between the test
• It needs to determine relationship

Test and Analysis

• Examine if analysis follows expected results
• May have issues when predicting

Components of Hypotheses

• Complex Hypothesis (Multivariate Hypothesis): Predicts a relationship between two or more independent and dependent variables
• Directional Hypothesis: Specifies the expected direction of the relationship
• Non-directional Hypothesis: Does not specify nature with relationship

Types of Research Hypotheses

• Research Hypotheses: Are statements to expect the relationship between these variables

Traits to Avoid

• There is no independent or dependent variable relationship
• Cannot have comparison Be careful of limited range, limited source of facts