STUDY NOTES & REFERENCE GUIDE
Solution Manual for
Statistics for Nursing
Research A
Workbookfor
Evidence-Based
Practice 3rd Edition
Susan Grove Daisha
nolanjack - Stuvia | Page 1 of 79
, STUDY NOTES & REFERENCE GUIDE
Answer Guidelines for Questions to Be Graded
Identifying Levels of EXERCISE
Measurement: Nominal,
Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio
1
The questions are in bold followed by answers.
1. In Table 1, identify the level of measurement for the current therapy variable. Provide
a rationale for your answer.
Answer: The current therapy variable was measured at the nominal level.
These drug categories were probably developed to be exhaustive for this study
and included the categories of drugs the subjects were receiving. However, the
categories are not exclusive, since patients are usually on more than one
category of these drugs to manage their health problems. The current therapies
are not measured at the ordinal level because they cannot be rank ordered, since
no drug category can be considered more or less beneficial than another drug
category (see Figure 1-1; Grove & Gray, 2019).
2. What is the mode for the current therapy variable in this study? Provide a rationale
for your answer.
Answer: The mode for current therapy was β blocker. A total of 100 (94%) of the cardiac
patients
were receiving this category of drug, which was the most common
prescribed drug for this sample.
3. What statistics were conducted to describe the BMI of the cardiac patients in this
sample?Discuss whether these analysis techniques were appropriate or inappropriate.
Answer: BMI was described with a mean and standard deviation (SD). BMI
measurement resulted in ratio-level data with continuous values and an
absolute zero (Stone & Frazier, 2017). Ratio- level data should be analyzed with
parametric statistics such as the mean and SD (Grove & Gray, 2017; Knapp,
2017).
4. Researchers used the following item to measure registered nurses’ (RNs) income in a
study: What category identifies your current income as an RN?
a. Less than $50,000
b. $50,000 to 59,999
c. $60,000 to 69,999
d. $70,000 to 80,000
e. $80,000 or greater
What level of measurement is this income variable? Does the income
variable follow the rules outlined in Figure 1-1? Provide a rationale for
your answer.
Answer: In this example, the income variable is measured at the ordinal level. The
income catego- ries are exhaustive, ranging from less than $50,000 to greater
nolanjack - Stuvia | Page 2 of 79
, STUDY NOTES & REFERENCE GUIDE
than $80,000. The two open-ended
AG 1-1
nolanjack - Stuvia | Page 3 of 79
, STUDY NOTES & REFERENCE GUIDE
AG 1-2 Answer Guidelines for Questions to Be Graded
categories ensure that all salary levels are covered. The categories are not
exclusive, since catego- ries (d) and (e) include an $80,000 salary, so study
participants making $80,000 might mark either (d) or (e) or both categories,
resulting in erroneous data. Category (e) could be changed to greater than
$80,000, making the categories exclusive. The categories can be rank ordered
from the lowest salary to the highest salary, which is consistent with ordinal
data (Grove & Gray, 2019; Waltz et al., 2017).
5. What level of measurement is the CDS score? Provide a rationale for your answer.
Answer: The CDS score is at the interval level of measurement. The CDS is a
26-item Likert scale developed to measure depression in cardiac patients.
Study participants rated their symp- toms on a scale of 1 to 7, with higher
numbers indicating increased severity in the depression symptoms. The total
scores for each subject obtained from this multi-item scale are considered to be
at the interval level of measurement (Gray et al., 2017; Waltz et al., 2017).
6. Were nonparametric or parametric analysis techniques used to analyze the CDS scores
forthe cardiac patients in this study? Provide a rationale for your answer.
Answer: Parametric statistics, such as mean and SD, were conducted to describe
CDS scores for study participants (see Table 1). CDS scores are interval-level data
as indicated in Questions 5, so parametric statistics are appropriate for this level of
data (Gray et al., 2017; Kim & Mallory, 2017).
7. Is the prevalence of depression linked to the NYHA class? Discuss the clinical
importance of this result.
Answer: The study narrative indicated that the prevalence of depression
increased with the greater NYHA class. In NYHA class III, 64% of the subjects
were depressed, whereas 11% of the subjects were depressed in NYHA class I.
Thus, as the NYHA class increased, the number of sub- jects with depression
increased. This is an expected finding because as the NYHA class increases,
cardiac patients have more severe physical symptoms, which usually result in
emotional distress, such as depression. Nurses need to actively assess cardiac
patients for depression, especially those in higher NYHA classes, so they might be
diagnosed and treated as needed.
8. What frequency and percent of cardiac patients in this study were not being treated
with an antidepressant? Show your calculations and round your answer to the nearest
whole percent (%).
Answer: A total of 106 cardiac patients participated in this study. The
sample included 15 patients who were receiving an antidepressant (see Table
1). The number of cardiac patients not treated for depression was 91 (106
15 = 91). The group percent is calculated by the following formula: (group
frequency ÷ total sample size) × 100%. For this study, (91 patients ÷ 106
sample size) × 100% = 0.858 × 100% = 85.8% = 86%. The final answer is
rounded to the nearest whole percent as directed in the question. You could
have also subtracted the 14% of patients treated with antidepressants from
100% and obtained the 86% who were not treated with an antidepressant.
9. What was the purpose of the 6-minute walk test (6MWT)? Would the 6MWT be
useful in clinical practice?
Answer: Ha et al. (2018) stated, 6-min walk test (6MWT) is a measure of
the submaximal, steady-
would be a quick, easy way to determine a cardiac functional status in
nolanjack - Stuvia | Page 4 of 79
Solution Manual for
Statistics for Nursing
Research A
Workbookfor
Evidence-Based
Practice 3rd Edition
Susan Grove Daisha
nolanjack - Stuvia | Page 1 of 79
, STUDY NOTES & REFERENCE GUIDE
Answer Guidelines for Questions to Be Graded
Identifying Levels of EXERCISE
Measurement: Nominal,
Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio
1
The questions are in bold followed by answers.
1. In Table 1, identify the level of measurement for the current therapy variable. Provide
a rationale for your answer.
Answer: The current therapy variable was measured at the nominal level.
These drug categories were probably developed to be exhaustive for this study
and included the categories of drugs the subjects were receiving. However, the
categories are not exclusive, since patients are usually on more than one
category of these drugs to manage their health problems. The current therapies
are not measured at the ordinal level because they cannot be rank ordered, since
no drug category can be considered more or less beneficial than another drug
category (see Figure 1-1; Grove & Gray, 2019).
2. What is the mode for the current therapy variable in this study? Provide a rationale
for your answer.
Answer: The mode for current therapy was β blocker. A total of 100 (94%) of the cardiac
patients
were receiving this category of drug, which was the most common
prescribed drug for this sample.
3. What statistics were conducted to describe the BMI of the cardiac patients in this
sample?Discuss whether these analysis techniques were appropriate or inappropriate.
Answer: BMI was described with a mean and standard deviation (SD). BMI
measurement resulted in ratio-level data with continuous values and an
absolute zero (Stone & Frazier, 2017). Ratio- level data should be analyzed with
parametric statistics such as the mean and SD (Grove & Gray, 2017; Knapp,
2017).
4. Researchers used the following item to measure registered nurses’ (RNs) income in a
study: What category identifies your current income as an RN?
a. Less than $50,000
b. $50,000 to 59,999
c. $60,000 to 69,999
d. $70,000 to 80,000
e. $80,000 or greater
What level of measurement is this income variable? Does the income
variable follow the rules outlined in Figure 1-1? Provide a rationale for
your answer.
Answer: In this example, the income variable is measured at the ordinal level. The
income catego- ries are exhaustive, ranging from less than $50,000 to greater
nolanjack - Stuvia | Page 2 of 79
, STUDY NOTES & REFERENCE GUIDE
than $80,000. The two open-ended
AG 1-1
nolanjack - Stuvia | Page 3 of 79
, STUDY NOTES & REFERENCE GUIDE
AG 1-2 Answer Guidelines for Questions to Be Graded
categories ensure that all salary levels are covered. The categories are not
exclusive, since catego- ries (d) and (e) include an $80,000 salary, so study
participants making $80,000 might mark either (d) or (e) or both categories,
resulting in erroneous data. Category (e) could be changed to greater than
$80,000, making the categories exclusive. The categories can be rank ordered
from the lowest salary to the highest salary, which is consistent with ordinal
data (Grove & Gray, 2019; Waltz et al., 2017).
5. What level of measurement is the CDS score? Provide a rationale for your answer.
Answer: The CDS score is at the interval level of measurement. The CDS is a
26-item Likert scale developed to measure depression in cardiac patients.
Study participants rated their symp- toms on a scale of 1 to 7, with higher
numbers indicating increased severity in the depression symptoms. The total
scores for each subject obtained from this multi-item scale are considered to be
at the interval level of measurement (Gray et al., 2017; Waltz et al., 2017).
6. Were nonparametric or parametric analysis techniques used to analyze the CDS scores
forthe cardiac patients in this study? Provide a rationale for your answer.
Answer: Parametric statistics, such as mean and SD, were conducted to describe
CDS scores for study participants (see Table 1). CDS scores are interval-level data
as indicated in Questions 5, so parametric statistics are appropriate for this level of
data (Gray et al., 2017; Kim & Mallory, 2017).
7. Is the prevalence of depression linked to the NYHA class? Discuss the clinical
importance of this result.
Answer: The study narrative indicated that the prevalence of depression
increased with the greater NYHA class. In NYHA class III, 64% of the subjects
were depressed, whereas 11% of the subjects were depressed in NYHA class I.
Thus, as the NYHA class increased, the number of sub- jects with depression
increased. This is an expected finding because as the NYHA class increases,
cardiac patients have more severe physical symptoms, which usually result in
emotional distress, such as depression. Nurses need to actively assess cardiac
patients for depression, especially those in higher NYHA classes, so they might be
diagnosed and treated as needed.
8. What frequency and percent of cardiac patients in this study were not being treated
with an antidepressant? Show your calculations and round your answer to the nearest
whole percent (%).
Answer: A total of 106 cardiac patients participated in this study. The
sample included 15 patients who were receiving an antidepressant (see Table
1). The number of cardiac patients not treated for depression was 91 (106
15 = 91). The group percent is calculated by the following formula: (group
frequency ÷ total sample size) × 100%. For this study, (91 patients ÷ 106
sample size) × 100% = 0.858 × 100% = 85.8% = 86%. The final answer is
rounded to the nearest whole percent as directed in the question. You could
have also subtracted the 14% of patients treated with antidepressants from
100% and obtained the 86% who were not treated with an antidepressant.
9. What was the purpose of the 6-minute walk test (6MWT)? Would the 6MWT be
useful in clinical practice?
Answer: Ha et al. (2018) stated, 6-min walk test (6MWT) is a measure of
the submaximal, steady-
would be a quick, easy way to determine a cardiac functional status in
nolanjack - Stuvia | Page 4 of 79
