allowing certain aspects of the study to be left to chance rather than to researcher or participant choice

systematic inquiry to develop trustworthy evidence (knowledge) about issues of importance to nurses and their clients

involves concealing information from the participants, data collectors, care providers, or data analysis in order to enhance objectivity

title normally includes the central phenomenon and group under investigation

only one group is blinded (ex. study participants)

research designed to guide nursing practice

two groups (ex. study participants and people collecting the outcome data) are blinded

title communicates key variables and the population (PICO components)

study without blinding is sometimes called

the use of the best clinical evidence in making patient care decisions

study with blinding

single paragraph, about 100 to 150 words; questions, methods, findings, implications for practice

blinding is used in quantitative studies to reduce bias that results from awareness

the extent to which study findings are valid for others not in the study

pioneered by Florence Nightingale

the extent to which qualitative findings can be transferred to other settings

more detailed, with specific headings; includes background, objectives, method, results, conclusions, and key words

rich and thorough descriptions of the context or setting allowing others to make inferences about contextual similarities; supports transferability

the review of literature is usually found in the introduction of the research report

first journal on research (Nursing Research) helped to propel nursing research

the study limitations are typically described in the Discussion section of the report

an objective assessment of a study's strengths and limitations

practice-oriented research began to emerge, and research-oriented journals started publication in several countries

used to inform EBP focus on whether evidence is accurate, believable, and clinically relevant

a change in research emphasis from areas such as teaching and nurses' characteristics to improvements in client care

the accuracy and consistency of obtained information

National Center for Nursing Research established at National Institutes of Health (NIH)

the soundness of the evidence - whether findings are convincing, well-grounded, and support the desired inferences

be sure researcher does not go beyond data (correlation vs cause and effect)

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) established and increase in nursing journals

could be problems with conceptualization and methodology

opposite of what expected

NINRs focus of promoting personalized health strategies

some expectations supported and some not

NINRs focus of promoting health and preventing disease

the overall integrity of the study's evidence

a key criterion, achieved to the extent that researchers can engender confidence in the truth of the data and their interpretations

NINRs focus of improving quality of life for individuals with chronic illness

refers to the objectivity or neutrality of the data and interpretations

NINRs focus on the science of compassion

stability of the data over time and conditions

a world view; a general perspective on the complexities of the real world, with certain assumptions about reality

the extent to which the findings can be transferred to other settings or groups

most closely allied with the positivist tradition

extent to which the researchers show a range of different realities in the analysis and interpretation of the data

associated with the constructivist tradition

use of multiple sources or referents to draw conclusions about what constitutes the truth

reality exists; it should be studied and known

which of the following would be a key aspect of trusthworthiness

refers to the belief that phenomena are not haphazard but rather have antecedent causes

haphazard and only affects a small segment of the sample

involves using orderly procedures to gather primarily quantitative information

consistent or uniform across the participants or the situation

evidence that is rooted in objective reality and gathered through the senses rather than through personal belief

generalize research findings to individuals who did not take part in the study

reality is not a fixed entity but rather a construction of the people participating in the research; reality exists within a context with many constructions

focuses on understanding the human experience as it is lived

positivism: scientific method

constructivist: scientific method

aim to gain understanding; to find the truth

gather and analyze the evidence empirically; through their senses

need humans to cooperate and participate

adhere to ethical principles and guidelines

limitations exist; each study adds to the body of knowledge

extends the base of knowledge in a discipline

finds solutions to problems

what is the phenomena? its name. used when little is known about the phenomena

prevalence, dimensions or characteristics

nature of the phenomenon, manifestation, related or causal factors

if phenomenon X occurs will phenomenon Y follow. can it be prevented

underlying causes; theories to explain, meaning of phenomenon

range from evaluations of specific treatments to multi-component interventions for behavioral change

ex - comparing two different methods of pain management, guided imagery and acupressure

formal instruments

ex - tool to determine ICU delirium, questionnaire to measure risks of falls, or risk of pressure ulcers

studies examine outcomes, estimate probability of outcome occurring, explore to find ways to modify prognosis, and indicate time outcomes most likely to occur

ex - looking at prevalence and impact of hypoglycemia in a group of hospitalized patients on length of stay

looking at factors of exposures of an illness, mortality, or morbidity

ex - looking at risk factors for blood stream infections in person with a central line. patient's age, type of prep, length of time the catheter is in place, use of alcohol cap on ports, etc

focuses of prevalence, size, intensity, and measurable attributes of phenomena

describe the dimension or the evolution of the process

meta-analysis

ex - study to describe the intensity of the symptoms during a heart attack

ex - study to describe the experience of having a heart attack

meta-synthesis

meta-aggregation

systematic review/meta-analysis of RCTs

randomized controlled trial (RCT)

nonrandomized trial (quasi-experiment)

systematic review of nonexperimental (observational) studies

nonexperimental/observational study

systematic review/metasynthesis of qualitative studies

qualitative study/descriptive study

nonresearch source (ex. internal evidence, expert opinion)

research findings increasingly must meet the test of being clinically significant, and medical practitioners have taken center stage in efforts to define clinical significance

what is the best method of acquiring reliable knowledge on which to base a clinical practice

what is a major assumption of the constructivist paradigm worldview

quantitative research is allied with the constructivist tradition

application of the positivist paradigm involves viewing reality as being driven by natural causes

which of the following characterizes naturalistic research methods

the "P" in the PICO acronym refers to the key characteristics of the people being interviewed

the use of research knowledge, often based on a single study, in clinical practice

basing clinical decisions on best possible evidence, typically high-quality research

research findings that are methodologically appropriate, rigorous, and clinically relevant for answering pressing questions

prepares, maintains, and disseminates systematic reviews of the effects of health care interventions

the strongest level of evidence is obtained from systematic reviews of randomized clinical trials (RCTs)

has been selected from primary studies and evaluated for use by clinicians

integrate evidence about a topic in a rigorous, systematic way

give specific recommendations for evidence-based decision making

integrate findings across quantitative studies statistically; analysis unit is the study, not individual subject

take multiple studies from the literature looking ways to decrease the incidence of childhood obesity and using the data from these studies, and conduct a statistical analysis

integrate and amplify findings across qualitative studies; focus is amplifying and interpreting information

use studies from the literature that focused on grief after a miscarriage examining the themes across those studies to identify intersecting themes

identifying a priority need, looking at context for use, organizing the work, systematically beginning a search for evidence

critiquing the studies and other related pieces of evidence (e.g. systematic reviews or guidelines) focusing on utilization of the information, then select and summarize information that related to the priority need

after synthesis of the information decide what to use based upon priority need

identify changes to be made based upon the findings, plan how changes can be made, put the plan into action so it can be implemented

look at the degree of implementation and if goals were met

to change how care is provided

to change thinking about an issue or patient

to impact the way others think and behave

meta-analyses use statistics to integrate findings across quantitative studies

which of the following would be the first step when personally investigating evidence for a specific nursing care problem

clinical practice guidelines put evidence into a usable form

addressing a research question

people being studied or cooperating in quantitative study

people cooperating in qualitative study

persons who conducts the research

the overall location for a study

tend to yield more diverse group of study participants, potentially enhancing generalizability of findings

take place in naturalistic settings by researchers who engage in fieldwork

work in more controlled settings

researchers engage in fieldwork when performing qualitative studies

abstractions of particular aspects of human behavior or characteristics (e.g. pain, spirituality, weight)

view or idea about something; can be highly concrete (e.g. ink pen) or highly abstract (e.g. quality of caring)

slightly more complex abstractions inferred from situations or behaviors

systematic, abstraction explanation of some aspect of reality

often starts with a theory or conceptual model and researchers make predictions about phenomena in the real world based upon the theory (deductive reasoning) and the predictions are tested

theory is often the end result of the research (inductive reasoning). information gained from study participants is used to develop the theory which is rooted in the experiences of the participants

a characteristic or quality that takes on different values; that varies from one person to the next, one group to the next, one situation to the next

examples of variables

the presumed cause or direction of influence (of a dependent variable)

the presumed effect or direction of influence (of an independent variable)

which of the following best describes a dependent variable

variables are things other than the independent variable that might influence the dependent variable

in ______ research, the researcher is less concerned about confounding variables

the abstract or theoretical meaning of a concept being studied (e.g. concept of caring)

the operations (measurements) a researcher must perform to collect the desired information; putting the conceptual definition into observable or measurable terms

the pieces of information researchers collect in a study

the entirety of data gathered for all study participants

_______ researchers collect numeric data

_______ researchers collect narrative data

casual relationship - cigarette smoking and lung cancer

functional relationship - gender and life expectancy

qualitative researchers may seek patterns of association as a way of illuminating the underlying meaning and dimensionality of phenomena of interest

researchers actively introduce an intervention or treatment - called clinical trial in medical research

researchers collect data without intervening or introducing treatments - called observational data in medical research

seeks to understand key social psychological processes that are grounded in reality

focuses on the lived experience of humans

focuses on the patterns and lifeways of a cultural group and strives to learn from members of a cultural group to understand their worldview and to describe their customs and norms

what is an example of a question that researchers ask when using phenomenology during qualitative research

conceptual phase

design and planning phase

empirical phase

analytic phase

dissemination phase

which of the following would be done first when designing and planning a quantitative study