Test Bank: Realities of Canadian Nursing: Professional,
Practice, and Power Issues 5th Edition by Mclntyre - Ch. 1-26,
9781496384041, with Rationales
You are a nurse researcher interviewing senior oncology nurses, asking them to describe how they
deal with the loss of a patient. The analysis of the interviews yields common themes describing the
nurses' grief. This is an example of which type of study? - ANSWER: Qualitative study.
(A qualitative study involves inductive reasoning to develop generalizations or theories from specific
observations or interviews. Historical research establishes facts and relationships concerning past
events. Correlational research is exploration of the interrelationships among variables of interest
without any intervention by the researcher. An experimental study involves the use of tightly
controlled subject groups, variables, and procedures to eliminate bias and ensure that findings can be
generalized to similar groups of subjects.)
An operating room nurse is talking with colleagues during a meeting. She asks, "I wonder if we would
see fewer wound infections if we used chlorhexidine instead of povidone-iodine to clean the skin of
our surgical patients? What does the P represent in this example of a PICOT question? - ANSWER:
Surgical patients.
(Surgical patients are the patient population of interest (P) in the PICOT (patient population,
intervention, comparison, outcome, time) question. The intervention is the cleaning of the skin, and
the comparison of interest is between chlorhexidine use and povidone-iodine use. Operating room
nurses are not an element of the PICOT question.)
A nurse researcher is designing an exercise study that involves 100 patients who attend a wellness
clinic. As the patients come to the clinic, each has a choice as to whether he or she wants to be in the
new exercise program or remain in the traditional program. The nurse plans to measure the patients'
self-report of exercise before and 6 months after the program begins. What factor might influence the
results of this study in an unfavourable way? - ANSWER: Sampling method.
(Because the patients at the clinic are allowed their choice of the traditional versus the new exercise
program, the sampling in this study is not random sampling.)
The foundation of research is which of the following? - ANSWER: Scientific method.
(The scientific method is the foundation of research and is the most reliable and objective of all
methods of obtaining knowledge. Documentation, critical thinking, and evidence are not the
foundations of research.)
A researcher gives a subject full and complete information about the purpose of a study. This is an
example of which of the following? - ANSWER: Informed consent.
(Informed consent implies that the research subjects are given full and complete information about
the purpose of the study, procedures, data collection, potential harms and benefits, and alternative
methods of treatment. Confidentiality rules guarantee that any information the subject provides will
not be reported to people outside the research team. Bias is any personal opinion or judgement that
may be interjected into the results. Anonymity means that the subject's name and identifying
information would not be disclosed during the research study.)
A new nurse on an orthopedic unit is assigned to care for a patient undergoing skeletal traction. The
nurse asks a colleague, "What is the best practice for cleaning pin sites in skeletal traction?" This
question is an example of which of the following? - ANSWER: Knowledge-focused trigger.
, (A knowledge-focused trigger is a question regarding new information available on a topic. A
problem-focused trigger is one faced while the nurse is caring for a patient or noting a trend. The
PICOT (population, intervention, comparison, outcome, time) format is a way to phrase a question to
help clarify the question and the parts. A hypothesis is a prediction about the relationship between
study variables.)
The nurses on a medical unit have seen an increase in the number of pressure injuries developing in
their patients. The nurses decide to initiate a quality improvement project with the plan, do, study,
act (PDSA) model. Which of the following is an example of the "do" step of that model? - ANSWER:
Implement a new skin care protocol on all medical units.
(The "do" step consists of selecting an intervention on the basis of a data review, implementing the
change, and studying the results of the change. The "plan" step includes reviewing the available data
to understand existing practice conditions or problems to identify the need for change. The results of
the change are evaluated in the "study" step. The "act" step is the incorporation of the findings into
current practice.)
The nurse researcher obtains informed consent from participants in a study primarily for which
reason? - ANSWER: To ensure that the study subjects understand their roles in the study.
(The conduct of research must meet ethical standards in which the rights of human subjects are
protected. The research participants must be told about the study's purpose and procedure and their
roles in the study. The researcher is always legally responsible for his or her actions. Control of
variables is related to the study design, not to informed consent. Confidentiality is part of the ethical
nature of research but is not the focus of informed consent.)
Which of the following is a priority goal for nursing research? - ANSWER: Improving patient care.
(Quality patient care is always the primary focus of nursing practice. Cost control would be a benefit
but is not the primary focus. Research is not about technology; many "old" procedures can be
improved through research. Although research is a professional function of nursing, it is not done to
serve the profession.)
A clinical nurse develops a better way to secure an intravenous access device in a patient and wants
to see whether it would benefit other patients. Which of the following should be the first step in
initiating a study? - ANSWER: Review current literature related to the clinical problem.
(Review of the literature is the first step in the orderly research process to determine what is already
known about the problem. Recruiting patients occurs later in the process, after the nurse identifies
the problem, researches the literature, and designs the study. Experimenting with new nursing
procedures that have not been tested or approved is a risk to patients. Surveys are designed to obtain
information from large study populations and would not be a first step in the research process.)
The nurse researcher who obtains new knowledge regarding a procedure can most effectively share
the information with the nursing profession by doing which of the following? - ANSWER:
Communicating the research findings in a professional journal.
(Publication of research results provides other nurses with the scientific background of the study
before they apply its findings in practice. Study subjects and setting should be similar in order to
replicate a study. Nurses should not change from accepted to unproven ways of providing care
without careful research and collaboration with colleagues. Experimenting with new nursing
measures is inappropriate and may place a patient at risk.)
Nurses who are new to practice can best contribute to nursing research by doing which of the
following? - ANSWER: Assisting with data collection.
Practice, and Power Issues 5th Edition by Mclntyre - Ch. 1-26,
9781496384041, with Rationales
You are a nurse researcher interviewing senior oncology nurses, asking them to describe how they
deal with the loss of a patient. The analysis of the interviews yields common themes describing the
nurses' grief. This is an example of which type of study? - ANSWER: Qualitative study.
(A qualitative study involves inductive reasoning to develop generalizations or theories from specific
observations or interviews. Historical research establishes facts and relationships concerning past
events. Correlational research is exploration of the interrelationships among variables of interest
without any intervention by the researcher. An experimental study involves the use of tightly
controlled subject groups, variables, and procedures to eliminate bias and ensure that findings can be
generalized to similar groups of subjects.)
An operating room nurse is talking with colleagues during a meeting. She asks, "I wonder if we would
see fewer wound infections if we used chlorhexidine instead of povidone-iodine to clean the skin of
our surgical patients? What does the P represent in this example of a PICOT question? - ANSWER:
Surgical patients.
(Surgical patients are the patient population of interest (P) in the PICOT (patient population,
intervention, comparison, outcome, time) question. The intervention is the cleaning of the skin, and
the comparison of interest is between chlorhexidine use and povidone-iodine use. Operating room
nurses are not an element of the PICOT question.)
A nurse researcher is designing an exercise study that involves 100 patients who attend a wellness
clinic. As the patients come to the clinic, each has a choice as to whether he or she wants to be in the
new exercise program or remain in the traditional program. The nurse plans to measure the patients'
self-report of exercise before and 6 months after the program begins. What factor might influence the
results of this study in an unfavourable way? - ANSWER: Sampling method.
(Because the patients at the clinic are allowed their choice of the traditional versus the new exercise
program, the sampling in this study is not random sampling.)
The foundation of research is which of the following? - ANSWER: Scientific method.
(The scientific method is the foundation of research and is the most reliable and objective of all
methods of obtaining knowledge. Documentation, critical thinking, and evidence are not the
foundations of research.)
A researcher gives a subject full and complete information about the purpose of a study. This is an
example of which of the following? - ANSWER: Informed consent.
(Informed consent implies that the research subjects are given full and complete information about
the purpose of the study, procedures, data collection, potential harms and benefits, and alternative
methods of treatment. Confidentiality rules guarantee that any information the subject provides will
not be reported to people outside the research team. Bias is any personal opinion or judgement that
may be interjected into the results. Anonymity means that the subject's name and identifying
information would not be disclosed during the research study.)
A new nurse on an orthopedic unit is assigned to care for a patient undergoing skeletal traction. The
nurse asks a colleague, "What is the best practice for cleaning pin sites in skeletal traction?" This
question is an example of which of the following? - ANSWER: Knowledge-focused trigger.
, (A knowledge-focused trigger is a question regarding new information available on a topic. A
problem-focused trigger is one faced while the nurse is caring for a patient or noting a trend. The
PICOT (population, intervention, comparison, outcome, time) format is a way to phrase a question to
help clarify the question and the parts. A hypothesis is a prediction about the relationship between
study variables.)
The nurses on a medical unit have seen an increase in the number of pressure injuries developing in
their patients. The nurses decide to initiate a quality improvement project with the plan, do, study,
act (PDSA) model. Which of the following is an example of the "do" step of that model? - ANSWER:
Implement a new skin care protocol on all medical units.
(The "do" step consists of selecting an intervention on the basis of a data review, implementing the
change, and studying the results of the change. The "plan" step includes reviewing the available data
to understand existing practice conditions or problems to identify the need for change. The results of
the change are evaluated in the "study" step. The "act" step is the incorporation of the findings into
current practice.)
The nurse researcher obtains informed consent from participants in a study primarily for which
reason? - ANSWER: To ensure that the study subjects understand their roles in the study.
(The conduct of research must meet ethical standards in which the rights of human subjects are
protected. The research participants must be told about the study's purpose and procedure and their
roles in the study. The researcher is always legally responsible for his or her actions. Control of
variables is related to the study design, not to informed consent. Confidentiality is part of the ethical
nature of research but is not the focus of informed consent.)
Which of the following is a priority goal for nursing research? - ANSWER: Improving patient care.
(Quality patient care is always the primary focus of nursing practice. Cost control would be a benefit
but is not the primary focus. Research is not about technology; many "old" procedures can be
improved through research. Although research is a professional function of nursing, it is not done to
serve the profession.)
A clinical nurse develops a better way to secure an intravenous access device in a patient and wants
to see whether it would benefit other patients. Which of the following should be the first step in
initiating a study? - ANSWER: Review current literature related to the clinical problem.
(Review of the literature is the first step in the orderly research process to determine what is already
known about the problem. Recruiting patients occurs later in the process, after the nurse identifies
the problem, researches the literature, and designs the study. Experimenting with new nursing
procedures that have not been tested or approved is a risk to patients. Surveys are designed to obtain
information from large study populations and would not be a first step in the research process.)
The nurse researcher who obtains new knowledge regarding a procedure can most effectively share
the information with the nursing profession by doing which of the following? - ANSWER:
Communicating the research findings in a professional journal.
(Publication of research results provides other nurses with the scientific background of the study
before they apply its findings in practice. Study subjects and setting should be similar in order to
replicate a study. Nurses should not change from accepted to unproven ways of providing care
without careful research and collaboration with colleagues. Experimenting with new nursing
measures is inappropriate and may place a patient at risk.)
Nurses who are new to practice can best contribute to nursing research by doing which of the
following? - ANSWER: Assisting with data collection.
