Significance of research to nursing practice: - Answers foundation of evidence informed practice, allows
practice to change with environment and issues, maintains societal relevance
Evidence Informed Practice: - Answers incorporation of evidence from research, clinical expertise, client
preferences and other resources to make decisions about patients.
Nursing research history: - Answers 19th century- Florence Nightingale ("Notes on Nursing") introduces
first exploration of health promotion/disease prevention; first school of nursing established
20th century-
1900-49: emphasis on preparing nursing for practice, not research
1950-60: ANA first publishes Nursing Research, first MSN @ UWO, development of nursing theories to
guide practice and research
1960-99: First federal nursing research grants, multiple doctoral programs, centre for nursing research
@ McGill
21st century- 5 Canadian Institute of Health Research Awards to nursing, PhD nursing programs initiated
across canada,
Knowledge Development Chain: - Answers Gap -> Generation - > Distribution -> Adoption ->
Review/Revision -> Repeat
Paradigm: - Answers set of beliefs and practices shared by communities of researchers (in nursing: post
positivist, constructive and critical/social)
Ontology: - Answers study of "being", what can be said to exist?
Epistemology: - Answers addresses "truth", what is knowledge and how do we know?
Compare inductive and deductive reasoning: - Answers Deductive: "top down", start with theory and
seeks to confirm it.
Inductive: "bottom up", start with observation and seek to find patterns/theory
Post Positivism - Answers not all things can be understood, aims for objectivity and follows logical steps.
Critical Theory (from MT) - Answers Plastic reality, research is transaction that req. transformative
dialogue to find new ideas
Constructive - Answers reality is constructed by perception and research required dialogue w/ focus on
interpretation
, Differentiate b/w theoretical and conceptual frameworks: - Answers Conceptual: Constructed from
review of literature and may not have a theory embedded in it. Can be based on personal experience.
Theoretical: Constructed based on philosophical or theorized belief. Based on pre-existing theory in
literature that you build on.
Differentiate b/w conceptual and operational definitions: - Answers Conceptual: dictionary definition,
conveys general meaning
Operational: more specific for the purpose of study. Identifies how a concept will be measured and what
instrument will be used to do so.
Discuss levels of abstraction: - Answers Worldview - opinions (abstract)
Framework - structure of theory, constructs map of study
Theories - interrelated concepts that explain phenomena
Concepts - symbol of abstract idea, i.e. pain
Variables - something set (concrete)
Identify the importance of critical thinking and critical reading for the reading of research articles -
Answers Preliminary Understanding: skim abstract & article
Comprehensive Understanding: understand authors intent, reviewing the unfamiliar, understanding in
relation to context
Analysis Understanding: critique soundness
Synthesis Understanding: put together and make sense
Differentiate b/w qual and quant systematic review - Answers qual: iterative, general knowledge and
widespread topic
quant: meta analysis, method of combining findings from independent studies
Identify the characteristics of research Qs and hypotheses - Answers Research Q: Concise statement in
present tense focusing on describing variables, specifying population and examining testable
relationships b/w variables (less concrete than hypoth.)
Hypothesis: formal statement about expected relationship between 2+ variables. Predicts outcome of
study.
Phenomenological: - Answers understanding human experience