Nursing Research knowledge checks #1 Questions & Answers

Nursing Research knowledge checks #1 Questions & Answers A research problem... is an area of concern in which there is a gap in the knowledge base needed for nursing practice. In a study, the research problem: 1. indicates the significance of the problem 2. provides a background for the problem 3. includes a problem statement A research purpose... is a clear, concise statement of the specific goal or focus of the study. It will include the population, the variables, and often the setting of the study. A clearly stated research purpose can capture the essence of a study in a single statement and is essential for directing the remaining steps of the research process. If little is known about a subject, what type of quantitative study will the researcher start with? They will start with a descriptive or correlational study and progress to quasi-experimental or experimental studies as knowledge expands in the area. What is the purpose of a descriptive study? To identify and describe concepts or variables To identify possible relationships among variables To delineate differences between or among existing groups What is the purpose of a correlational study? to examine the type of relationship (positive or negative) and the strength of relationship (weak or strong) among variables. What is the purpose of a quasi-experimental study? to determine the effect of a treatment or independent variable on a designated dependent or outcome variable. What is the purpose of an experimental study? these are conducted in highly controlled settings, using a highly structured design to determine the effect of one or more independent variables on one or more dependent variables. How do you know a study's problem and purpose has significance? Ask these four questions... 1. How will it influence nursing practice? 2. Does it build on previous nursing research? 3. How does it promote theory testing or development? 4. Does it address current concerns or priorities in nursing? How do you know whether a study is feasible to conduct? Ask yourself the following questions... 1. is the problem / purpose within the researcher's area of expertise? 2. How will the costs of the study be paid for? 3. How will you find your sample, facility, or equipment that you need for the study? 4. Is the purpose of your study ethical and are your subject's rights being protected? Where do research objectives, questions, or hypotheses for a study come from? They are based on the problem, purpose, literature review, and study framework. What's the main job of the research objectives, questions, or hypotheses for a study? to direct the remaining steps of the study or research process! In other words....how will we measure the variables, how will we select subjects / participants, what statistics will we use, etc... What is a research objective (or aim) in a quantitative study? A clear, concise, declarative statement that is expressed in the present tense. A research objective is more likely to be used in a descriptive or correlational study design. Research objectives may focus on one or two variables and: 1.) indicate whether they are to be identified or described 2.) identify relationships among variables 3.) determine differences among two or more groups with regard to the variables. What is a research question in a quantitative study? A clear, concise interrogative statement that is worded in the present tense, includes one or more variables, and is expressed to guide the implementation of a quantitative study. Research questions may: 1.) describe variables 2.) examine relationships among variables 3.) use independent variables to predict dependent variables 4.) determine differences among two or more groups with regard to the variables. *it is really only a matter of choice whether a researcher identifies objectives/aims or questions for their descriptive or correlational study.* What is a hypothesis? A formal statement of the expected relationship(s) between two or more variables in a specified population. A clearly stated hypotheses includes the variables to be manipulated or measured, identifies the population to be examined, and indicates the proposed outcomes for the study. Hypotheses influence study design, sampling methods, data collection and analysis, and interpretation of findings. What are variables? variables are qualities, properties, or characteristics of persons, things, or situations that change or vary. They need to be concisely defined to promote their manipulation and measurement in quantitative research. What is an independent variable? a stimulus or activity that is manipulated or varied by the researcher to create an effect on the dependent variable. AKA: the treatment, the intervention, or the experimental variable What is a dependent variable? the outcome or response that the researcher wants to predict or explain. Changes in the dependent variable are presumed to be caused by the independent variable. What types of quantitative research studies use independent and dependent variables? Quasi-experimental and experimental research studies definitely have independent and dependent variables. One specific type of correlational research study, a predictive correlational study, also uses independent and dependent variables. You don't have to know this fact for this class...we keep IV's and DVs at the quasi-experimental and experimental levels in our class to keep it simple, but it's something I'd like you to be aware of. What are research variables? Research variables are the qualities, properties, or characteristics identified in the research purpose statement and in the research objectives or questions. They are observed and / or measured in the study. There is no "treatment" with these kinds of variables and no cause-effect relationships are examined What kinds of quantitative research studies use research variables? descriptive and correlational studies What are extraneous variables? They exist in all studies and can interfere with obtaining a clear understanding of a relational or causal dynamics within these studies. What are confounding variables? The extraneous variables that are not recognized until a study is in progress, or are recognized before a study is initiated but cannot be controlled. What are environmental variables? a type of extraneous variable the composes the setting in which a study is conducted. Ex: climate, family, healthcare system, governmental organizations What is a conceptual definition of a variable? A conceptual definition provides a theoretical meaning for a variable. The variable may be defined within the review of literature or within a theoretical framework. It is similar to a dictionary definition. Example: What is the conceptual definition of "blood pressure"? Answer: The force exerted by the blood against the walls of the blood vessel. What is an operational definition of a variable? An operational definition is derived from a set of procedures or progressive acts that a researcher performs to receive sensory impressions that indicate the existence or degree of existence of a variable. An operational definition is developed so that a variable can be measured at different times in different settings using the same definitions. Example: What is the operational definition of "blood pressure" Answer: The result you get when you check the blood pressure of the first subject with a manual BP cuff. 120/70 What are research concepts in qualitative research? the concepts, ideas, experiences, situations, or events that are investigated in qualitative research. What are demographic variables? Attributes of subjects that are collected to describe the sample. Ex. age, gender, marital status. Name four experiments that were highly publicized for their unethical treatment of human subjects: 1. The Nazi medical experiments 2. the Tuskegee Syphilis study 3. the Willowbrook Study 4. the Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital Study In all of these studies, while physicians were the primary investigators...nurses understood the nature of the research, identified potential research subjects, delivered treatment to the subjects, and served as data collectors. What is the difference between therapeutic research and non-therapeutic research? therapeutic research provides patients with an opportunity to receive an experimental treatment that might have beneficial results. Non-therapeutic research is conducted to generate knowledge for a discipline; the results of the study might benefit future patients but probably will not benefit those acting as research subjects. What major ethical principles were created in the Declaration of Helsinki? The investigator should.... 1. protect life, health, privacy, and the dignity of human subjects 2. exercise greater care to protect subjects from harm in non-therapeutic research 3. conduct research only when the objective outweighs the risks and burdens to the subjects What is the principle of respect for persons? people should be treated as autonomous agents with the right to self-determination and the freedom to participate or not participate in research What is the principle of beneficence? encourages people to do good and "above all, do no harm." What is the principle of justice? it stresses that human subjects should be treated fairly in terms of the benefits and the risks of research. How does HIPAA affect research conducted in a healthcare environment? A person must provide his / her signed permission or authorization before that person's PHI can be used or disclosed for research (ie. informed consent). Ask yourself: were the subjects voluntary participants and were they able to comprehend the consent form / study? Researchers must develop research projects to comply with the HIPAA privacy rule. What are the human rights that require protection in research? self-determination privacy anonymity and confidentiality fair treatment protection from discomfort and harm What is coercion? This occurs when one person intentionally presents an overt threat of harm or an excessive reward to another to gain compliance. This violates one's right to self-determination. What is covert data collection? This occurs when subjects are unaware that research data are being collected. This violates one's right to self-determination. What is the use of deception? The actual misinforming of subjects for research purposes. This violates one's right to self-determination. Who are persons with diminished autonomy? Persons who are vulnerable or less advantaged because of legal or mental incompetence, terminal illness, or confinement to an institution. Legal and / or mental limitations may include: neonates and children, pregnant women and fetuses, mentally impaired persons, unconscious patients, the terminally ill, and persons confined to institutions. What is a right to privacy? the freedom that people have to determine the time, extent, and general circumstances under which their private information will be shared or withheld from others. An invasion of privacy occurs when private information is shared without a person's knowledge or against his / her will. What is the right to anonymity and confidentiality? Anonymity exists when the subject's identity can not be linked, even by the researcher, with his / her individual responses. Confidentiality is the researcher's management of private information shared by the subject or participant. What is fair selection and treatment of subjects? The right to fair selection and treatment of subjects is based on the principle of justice. People must be selected fairly and not based on social, cultural, racial or sexual biases. In addition, you cannot select certain subjects because you like them and want them to receive the benefits of the study. If you promise a benefit of a study (ie. compensation for participation) all subjects must receive it. In research, discomfort and harm can be... physical, emotional, social, or economic or any combination of these four. What is the range of discomfort and harm in a research study? no anticipated effects, temporary discomfort, unusual levels of temporary discomfort, risk of permanent damage, and certainty of permanent damage. What are the four key elements of informed consent? 1. disclosure of essential study information to study participants 2. comprehension of this information by the participant 3. competence (comprehension) of the participant to give consent 4. voluntary consent of the participant What is a consent form in a research study? A written form that includes the elements of informed consent required by the DHHS and FDA regulations, and any additional requirements from the institution where the study is being conducted or the agency who is funding the study. What is an institutional review? In an institutional review, a study is examined for ethical concerns by a committee knowledgeable about research and clinical practice. When are studies exempt from IRB review? When they pose no apparent risks for the research subjects. When do studies qualify for an expedited IRB review? When the study poses minimal risk...or that the probability of and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the research are not greater in and of themselves than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests. What is research misconduct? the fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in processing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. It does not include honest error or differences in opinion. What is fabrication? the making up of results and recording or reporting them. What is falsification? manipulating research materials equipment, or processes or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record. What is plagiarism? the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit, including those obtained through confidential review of others' research proposals and manuscripts. Qualitative research is a.... systematic approach used to describe experiences and situations from the perspective of the person in the situation. Qualitative research can generate rich descriptions of the experiences of patients and families that can increase nurses' understanding of the best ways to intervene and be supportive. What are phenomena? Phenomena are the experiences that comprise the lives of humans. An experience is considered unique to the individual, time, and context, which is why qualitative researchers describe phenomena from the perspective of the persons who are experiencing it. What are the major types of qualitative research? phenomenological research, grounded theory research, ethnographic research, exploratory-descriptive, and historical research What are four common methods for collecting data in qualitative research? interviewing participants, conducting focus groups, observing participants, and examining written text. What are common terms when interviewing is used as a data-collection technique? interviews may be semi-structured to unstructured probes are queries made by the researcher to gain more info interviews may be transcribed to look for themes in what was said. Facts about focus groups include: They are designed to obtain participants' perceptions of a specific topic in a setting that is permissive and non-threatening. They are conducted by a moderator or facilitator. Group dynamics can help people to express and clarify their views in ways that are less likely to occur in one-on-one interviews. Observation is used to.... gather firsthand information in a naturally occurring situation by observing carefully and listening. The observer may take "field notes". Data management in qualitative research may include: transcribing interviews and data immersion Data analysis in qualitative research may include: dwelling with the data coding the data and identifying patterns or themes. The researcher may need to engage in reflexive thought and interpreting the data / identifying usefulness for clinical practice or further research. Qualitative researchers seek to provide a holistic picture of phenomena guided by what four beliefs? 1. There are multiple, constructed realities because meaning is subjective (created by individuals) and inter-subjective (created by groups). 2.Knowledge is co-constructed by the persons involved in an interaction. 3. Human behavior are choices influenced by the past and present as well as by the physical, psychological, and social contexts of the behavior or experience. 4. Time and context influence individual and group perspectives.