Research Designs
Hypertension is still the most prevalent chronic condition in the world and a leading cause
of cardiovascular disease and stroke (Mills et al., 2020). Telehealth offers an engaging way to
improve blood pressure control through remote monitoring, titration of medications, and patient
education (Choi et al., 2020). It is important for nurses to learn how quantitative research designs
can be employed to evaluate telehealth interventions with a view to generating quality evidence
for practice. The objective of this paper is to identify and outline basic quantitative research
designs, corresponding research questions, analysis methods, and the limits of results (causal or
relational) for evaluating telehealth's impact on blood pressure control in adult hypertensive
patients.
Research Questions
The following research questions guide this discussion; they can be investigated through
quantitative research designs which measure changes in blood pressure, adherence, and
telehealth utilization.:
• Main question: What is the effect of telehealth interventions on blood pressure control in
adults with hypertension compared to usual face-to-face care?
• Subquestion 1: Is follow-up remote blood pressure monitoring related to improvement in
systolic and diastolic blood pressures?
• Subquestion 2: What is the long-term impact of patient follow-up telehealth adherence on
blood pressure outcomes?
Basic Research Designs
Quantitative research designs include correlational, quasi-experimental, and experimental
approaches. These are applied when researchers seek to measure variables and study statistical
, relationships (Ghanad, 2023). Correlational designs investigate to what degree two or more
variables relate to each other without manipulation, for instance, whether the increase in
telehealth utilization is correlated with lowered blood pressure levels. Quasi-experimental
designs involve experimenting with interventions wherein randomization is impossible; they
come in handy while exploring outcomes between naturally occurring groups, such as telehealth-
engaging clinics and non-engaging clinics (Maciejewski, 2020). Experimental designs, such as
randomized controlled trials (RCTs), use random allocation to treatment and control groups for
establishing cause and effect. Experimental designs are optimal when seeking to establish
whether telehealth independently affects blood pressure outcomes (Perumal & Singh, 2021).
Qualitative research designs are used to explore experience, perception, and meanings
rather than numerical outcomes. Phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study
are common qualitative designs. Phenomenology is interested in participants' lived experience,
for instance, the experience of telehealth by patients in terms of managing their hypertension
(Dodgson, 2023). Grounded theory attempts to construct a theory from data gathered from
participants (Corbin, 2021), which could explain how patients integrate telehealth activities into
their everyday lives. Ethnography is interested in studying cultural or social interactions
(Madden, 2022) and would be appropriate to examine how healthcare teams adopt telehealth in
different clinical settings. Case studies study a single case or several cases in depth in order to
gain extensive knowledge of a certain telehealth implementation (Madden, 2022).
Mixed-method designs combine quantitative and qualitative methods together in one
study for strengthening findings by means of triangulation. They are generally applied when
researchers want to measure outcomes in numerical terms but also want to find out the
experience of participants (Thompson & Ivankova, 2022). For example, a mixed-method design
Hypertension is still the most prevalent chronic condition in the world and a leading cause
of cardiovascular disease and stroke (Mills et al., 2020). Telehealth offers an engaging way to
improve blood pressure control through remote monitoring, titration of medications, and patient
education (Choi et al., 2020). It is important for nurses to learn how quantitative research designs
can be employed to evaluate telehealth interventions with a view to generating quality evidence
for practice. The objective of this paper is to identify and outline basic quantitative research
designs, corresponding research questions, analysis methods, and the limits of results (causal or
relational) for evaluating telehealth's impact on blood pressure control in adult hypertensive
patients.
Research Questions
The following research questions guide this discussion; they can be investigated through
quantitative research designs which measure changes in blood pressure, adherence, and
telehealth utilization.:
• Main question: What is the effect of telehealth interventions on blood pressure control in
adults with hypertension compared to usual face-to-face care?
• Subquestion 1: Is follow-up remote blood pressure monitoring related to improvement in
systolic and diastolic blood pressures?
• Subquestion 2: What is the long-term impact of patient follow-up telehealth adherence on
blood pressure outcomes?
Basic Research Designs
Quantitative research designs include correlational, quasi-experimental, and experimental
approaches. These are applied when researchers seek to measure variables and study statistical
, relationships (Ghanad, 2023). Correlational designs investigate to what degree two or more
variables relate to each other without manipulation, for instance, whether the increase in
telehealth utilization is correlated with lowered blood pressure levels. Quasi-experimental
designs involve experimenting with interventions wherein randomization is impossible; they
come in handy while exploring outcomes between naturally occurring groups, such as telehealth-
engaging clinics and non-engaging clinics (Maciejewski, 2020). Experimental designs, such as
randomized controlled trials (RCTs), use random allocation to treatment and control groups for
establishing cause and effect. Experimental designs are optimal when seeking to establish
whether telehealth independently affects blood pressure outcomes (Perumal & Singh, 2021).
Qualitative research designs are used to explore experience, perception, and meanings
rather than numerical outcomes. Phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study
are common qualitative designs. Phenomenology is interested in participants' lived experience,
for instance, the experience of telehealth by patients in terms of managing their hypertension
(Dodgson, 2023). Grounded theory attempts to construct a theory from data gathered from
participants (Corbin, 2021), which could explain how patients integrate telehealth activities into
their everyday lives. Ethnography is interested in studying cultural or social interactions
(Madden, 2022) and would be appropriate to examine how healthcare teams adopt telehealth in
different clinical settings. Case studies study a single case or several cases in depth in order to
gain extensive knowledge of a certain telehealth implementation (Madden, 2022).
Mixed-method designs combine quantitative and qualitative methods together in one
study for strengthening findings by means of triangulation. They are generally applied when
researchers want to measure outcomes in numerical terms but also want to find out the
experience of participants (Thompson & Ivankova, 2022). For example, a mixed-method design
