Nursing Research Fundamentals

Definition of Research

• Research is a systematic inquiry that uses disciplined methods to answer questions or solve problems.

Definition of Nursing Research

• Nursing Research is a systemic, objective process of analyzing phenomena of importance to nursing.

Types of Nursing Research

• There are two types of nursing research: basic and applied research.
• Basic research is undertaken to extend the base of knowledge.
• Applied research focuses on finding solutions to existing problems.

Sources of Nursing Knowledge

• There are six sources of nursing knowledge: Trial & Error, Tradition, Authority, Personal Experience, Role Modeling, and Mentorship.
• Trial & Error is a means of discovering knowledge.
• Tradition involves the handing down of knowledge from one generation to another.
• Authority involves experts or authorities providing knowledge for others.
• Role Modeling involves imitating the behavior of an exemplar.

Nursing Knowledge

• The most objective and reliable source of nursing knowledge is obtained through scientific research.
• Empirical data are data gathered through the sense organs.

Goals of Nursing Research

• The goals of nursing research include developing, refining, and expanding a base of knowledge, providing evidence-based care, improving nursing care, providing a rational for any nursing practice, and solving problems.

The Research Process

• The most important step in the research process is to clearly identify the problem.
• The problem statement should specify the population and the variables being studied.
• The problem statement addresses what will be studied, while the purpose furnishes why the study is being done.

Sources of Research Problems

• Research problems can arise from experience, social studies, and theories.
• Research studies should build on previous knowledge.
• It is important to determine what knowledge exists on the study topic before beginning a research study.

Hypothesis and Research Design

• A research expectation about the results of a research study is expressed in a hypothesis.
• The hypothesis determines the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
• In experimental studies, the independent variable is the cause, and the dependent variable is the effect.
• A null hypothesis predicts that no relationship exists between variables.
• The research design is the plan for how the study will be conducted.

Target Population

• The target population, or universe, is the group of people or objects to which the researcher wishes to generalize the findings of a study.