Nursing Research (NCM 111) Lecture Notes PDF

Nursing Research (NCM 111) 1st Sem AY 2022-2023 Joanna Jauculan-Albaño, RN, LPT, MAN [email protected]  Module 1: Overview of the Research Process Credits to: Ophelia M. Mendoza, DrPH Department of Science and Tech...

Nursing Research (NCM 111) 1st Sem AY 2022-2023 Joanna Jauculan-Albaño, RN, LPT, MAN [email protected]  Module 1: Overview of the Research Process Credits to: Ophelia M. Mendoza, DrPH Department of Science and Technology Basic Research Methods Modules Nursing Research - systematic inquiry designed to develop knowledge about issues of importance to the nursing profession, including nursing practice, education, administration and informatic (Polit & Beck, 2006) - tremendous influence on current and future professional nursing practice, thus rendering it an essential component of the educational process “Nurses must become Lifelong Learners” Goals of Nursing Research 1. Efficiency and Effectiveness in Nursing Care - provide optimum care for clients; identify clinical problems, causes, diagnosis, nsg care interventions and evaluation of nsg care outcome 2. Worthiness and Value of the Nursing Profession to Society 3. Identifying, Implementing and Evaluating Effective Health Care Modalities Goals of Nursing Research 4. Clinical Nursing Research, has the potential for proving Quality Care of Clients a) Systematic study of nursing problems b) Improving nursing practice and patient care c) Identifying nursing interventions d) Initiation and assessment of change  Nursing research serves as the cornerstone of comprehensive, evidence-based clinical practice because nursing students are the future members of the nursing profession. It is crucial that aspiring nurses are exposed to, learn about, and get more involved in nursing research in order to integrate the findings into the provision of the best possible professional nursing practice (Tingen et al., 2009).  Module 2: Defining Research Problem Learning Objectives: Identify important factors to be considered in selecting a research topic; State the research problem underlying the selected research topic; Formulate measurable general and specific objectives; and Justify the significance of the research topic and objectives selected.  Criteria for Choosing a Problem for Scientific Inquiry: 1) EXTERNAL CRITERIA a) Novelty.Practical value of the problem due to its “newness” in the field of inquiry (Polit & Beck, 2004) b) Availabilityof Participants. Existence of people with the capability and willingness to participate in the study; sampling of study participants must be enough to ensure reliability and validity of results Criteria for Choosing a Problem for Scientific Inquiry: c) Institutional or Administrative Support. Sponsorship by a department or the institution; permission of those concerned for participation in the study d) Ethical Considerations. Must not pose unethical demands on the part of study participants and the researcher e) Facilities and Equipment. Availability and adequacy of special equipment and facilities 1) INTERNAL CRITERIA a) Motivation, Interest, Intellectual curiosity and Perceptiveness of the Researcher b) Experience, Training and Professional Qualifications c) Time Management d) Costs and Returns e) Hazards, Penalties and Handicaps Characteristics of Researchable Problems: 1) Originality 2) Significance 3) Manageability 4) Measurability 5) Resource Availability  Basic Components of Research  1) Title of the Study - Title embodies substantive words phrases which gives the idea of what the research study is all about - Must be clearly stated, concise, and consist of not more than 15 words (Chapnick, 2019) - Variables of the study are reflected in the title, particularly the relationship among variables and the proposed target population Nice to Remember! First impressions matter, and it is what will introduce the reader to the topic Title provides the reader the necessary information to judge if the paper is relevant to them before they even click into the study to read Remember! A BAD TITLE might provide the reader with wrong information about the study before even clicking into it and reading more focus on the title to make sure that the future readers get the right impression about what the research should be  2) Introduction  Presents a brief discussion of the rationale and background of the problem or subject of inquiry  Serves as a springboard for the statement of the problem. It should stimulate the interest of the reader Importance of a Good Introduction Think of the introduction as a mental road map that must answer for the reader these four questions: What was I studying? Why was this topic important to investigate? What did we know about this topic before I did this study? How will this study advance our knowledge? Well-written introduction makes a good first impression! ☺ A VAGUE, DISORGANIZED, OR ERROR-FILLED introduction will create a negative impression General phases associated with writing an introduction: 1. Establish an area to research by: Highlighting the importance of the topic, and/or Making general statements about the topic, and/or Presenting an overview on current research on the subject. 2. Identify a research: Opposing an existing assumption, and/or Revealing a gap in existing research, and/or Formulating a research question or problem, and/or Continuing a disciplinary tradition. 3. Place your research within the research: Stating the intent of your study, Outlining the key characteristics of your study, Describing important results, and Giving a brief overview of the structure of the paper. NOTE: Even though the introduction is the first main section of a research paper, it is often useful to finish the introduction very late in the writing process because the structure of the paper, the reporting and analysis of results, and the conclusion will have been completed and it ensures that your introduction matches the overall structure of your paper  3) Statement of the Problem Must be clearly stated. Must be expressed in precise terms as the subject of inquiry Indicates the population and the major variables of the study which need to be subjected to empirical testing Consists of the main or major problem and the specific or sub-problems Research problems may be stated in various ways, as follows:  Interrogative Form - Major question is followed by specific questions, or several questions to answer a single problem Ex. “What is the relationship between the dependency level of post-op renal patients and their rate of recovery?”  Declarative Form - Specific statements; use set of research variables to clarify and give greater specificity to the statement of purpose Ex. “The Impact of Grading on the Academic and Clinical Achievements of Nursing Students” “The Relationship between Method of Pain Management During Labor and Specific Labor and Birth Outcomes.”  Consists of the Various Components: 1) The Major Problem - Directs attention to the main issue to be answered. This also refers to the goal of the study that requires long-term inquiry and broader solutions. Example: To determine the correlation between Staff Nurses’ extent of Knowledge and their Clinical Performance of the Nursing Process as a basis for “Improving the Curriculum and the Related Learning Experience Programs of Nursing Education” and the Staff Development/Training Program of the Nursing Service. The statement includes the subject of the inquiry (knowledge, clinical performance, and nursing process), the population (staff nurses), and the purpose of the study, (basis to improve the curriculum, RLE and staff development/training program.) 2. Minor/Specific or Sub-Problems - Sub-problems into which the major problem is broken down for purposes of analysis. They support the major problem and lead to its solution. They serve as guides in data collection, measurement and analysis - Drawn from the major problem; parts of the major problem, the answers to which lead to the solution of the major problem Note: A well-stated problem guides the researcher in determining the research design. Examples: 1. What is the staff nurses’ extent of knowledge of the nursing process in relation to its five basic aspects: 1.1 Assessment; 1.2 Nursing diagnosis; 1.3 Planning; 1.4 Implementation; and 1.5 Evaluation 2. What is the extent of the staff nurses’ knowledge if the nursing process as perceived by themselves and their head nurses 3. To what extent is the nursing process performed efficiently by the staff nurses as perceived 4. Is there any significant correlation between the staff nurses’ extent of knowledge and their clinical performance of the nursing process in relation to the five components 5. Is there any significant difference in the staff nurses’ knowledge and their clinical performance of the nursing process as perceived by themselves and their head nurses?  3) Research Variables - qualities, properties, or characteristics of people, things, events or situations under study that vary from one person to another. - Building blocks of research studies and are not restricted to pre-existing attributes - Purposely designed by the researcher for specific inquiry purposes - Measured quantitatively and qualitatively Kinds of Variables: a) Explanatory Variable - This refers to phenomenon under study that varies or assumes different values. This is the focus of the research that indicates direction of influence to what the researcher would like to discover, and not merely establishing a direct causal link between the persons, objects or things being studied. Types of Explanatory Variables: Dependent Independent Intervening 1) INDEPENDENT VARIABLE - Factors are being manipulated by the researcher and the focus of the inquiry. - Also called as experimental, treatment, causal or stimulus variables Example: Self-concept, Personal and Professional Characteristics of Staff Nurses Work Values of Nurse Managers 2) DEPENDENT VARIABLE - Factor or variable that is affected or influenced by the IV - Also called as criterion, effect, response or outcome variable - Reflects change brought about or caused by the IV, requires analysis, interpretation and implications of the findings of the study Example: Patients satisfaction index Clinical Performance of Staff Nurses  3) INTERVENING VARIABLE - Factor or variable that exist between the IV and DV - Also called as correlated or mediator variables - Variable that explains why the relationship exists, and bears influence on the effects of the IV on DV Example: Self-concept, Personal and Professional Characteristics of Staff Nurses Intervening variables: nurses’ age, sex, knowledge, skills, attitude, patients status and diagnosis Work Values of Nurse Managers Intervening variables: time management, goals and objectives, socialization process  4) Definition of Terms ▪ To guide and direct the researcher in quantifying and qualifying the variables ▪ To ensure clarity of the meaning of the variables and minimize the readers’ misconceptions Types of Definition: a)CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION - Universal definition of a term understood by people, a general statement of properties or qualities common to a number of examples. - Uses hypothetical criteria to identify a phenomenon rather than what is observable - Projects an abstract meaning to the reader and can be subjected to several interpretations. - Refers to the subjective or theoretical/textual meaning of the word.  CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION Sources: Dictionary, Related Literature Example: Motivation- something that causes a person to act (Webster: 2004) Problem- a source of perplexity or vexation Pain- subjective experience perceived to be unpleasant, initiated by potentially damaging stimuli but influenced by affective variables Types of Definition: a)OPERATIONAL DEFINITION - Researcher’s own definition of terms as used in the study - Concrete and measurable, based on observable characteristics of what is being defined within the context of the phenomenon being investigated - Refers to the objective or practical/functional meaning of the word  OPERATIONAL DEFINITION Sources: Empirical data, related literature, research studies, established theories Example: Motivation- the ability of the nurse on duty to accomplish her tasks on time. Problem- inability of the patient to meet his daily dietary requirements Pain- refers to the score obtained in a 10 cm visual analogue scale in which zero (0) represents “no pain” and ten (10) represents the worst pain imaginable.  5) Significance of the Study - pursuit of a study, cites the importance, responsiveness or relevance of expected outcomes of the investigation and its probable effects on a nursing theory or practice - Emphasize the significant contributions of the proposed research study to its target population, to the different sectors in nursing education and nursing service, to society, and its implications to future researches in nursing Benefits that these sectors in the target population will gain from its findings: a) Improvement of policies, programs and practices; b) Contribution to the particular field of study or profession in terms of knowledge, skills and new technology; c) Guide in decision making; d) Added knowledge and expertise for individual practitioners e) New theory learned, and; f) Personal and societal development. Beneficiaries of research studies in nursing include the following sectors: The Nursing profession as a whole; The Public as end-user of quality nursing care; The Nursing service; Nursing education; Nurse practitioners; and Hospital Administrators Example: Problem: Time and Activity Study of Nursing Personnel in a Selected Tertiary Hospital in Metro Manila: Its Implications to the Administration of Nursing Service This study is significant to the following target populations: 1. To Hospital Administrators, for depth of insights into the actual activities of nursing personnel in relation to the hospital’s standard of health care as describes in their job description and the standards set by the Association of Nursing Service Administrators of the Philippines (ANSAP). 2. To Nursing Personnel, for better understanding and appreciation of their legitimate roles and functions and for them to maximize their efforts in providing better nursing care. 3. To Nursing Service Administrators , to revise or to develop hospital nursing operational manuals, provide orientation and staff development programs, and revise job descriptions of each category of nursing personnel. 4. To Nursing Education, by identifying vital competencies to be developed in nursing students, particularly proficiency of roles and functions in patient care and supervision 5. Finally, to the Community, to get the best quality care from competent nursing personnel, and be assured of their basic rights to a decent and healthful life.  6) Scope and Delimitations - Researcher must be aware of and should state certain constraints in the study over which the researcher has no control - Uncontrolled variables may affect study results, hence, expected findings should not be beyond what the study can achieve in terms of the following aspects: a) Issues- past and current; b) Scope or coverage of areas of concern; c) Respondents; d) Time frame; and e) Type of data such as qualitative, quantitative or combined 1) Scope or Coverage - Context of the study in terms of subject, concepts, specific characteristics of the phenomenon, treatment, sampling and time frame. The who, what, when, where, how and the why of the study shall then be clarified, and specifically stated; 2) Expected Manageability of the Problem - In experimental studies, internal and external constraints that may affect validity and reliability of findings are specified. 3. Limitations of the Study - Anticipated shortfalls and specific constraints such as foreseen weakness in methodology and design, the exclusion of certain sectors of the population, the inaccessibility of data, statistical treatment and analysis, and failure to get a representative sampling must be clearly stated. Reference: Chapnick, J. D. (2019). The abstract and title page. Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2004). Nursing research: Principles and methods. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Tan, C. (2011). A Research Guide in Nursing Education: Building an Evidence-Based Practice. Tingen, M. S., Burnett, A. H., Murchison, R. B., & Zhu, H. (2009). The importance of nursing research. Journal of Nursing Education, 48(3), 167-170.