Research - Answers Planned and systematic activity that leads to new knowledge and/or
discovery of solutions to problems/questions; the systematic rigorous critical investigation or
inquiry aiming to answer questions about nursing phenomenon, events, or occurrences,
searching possible relationships among such phenomenon; involves a set of orderly processes
that formaize the development of evidence (scientific process)
Quantitative approach - Answers seeks to test relationships or answer a question; data are
numbers (obtain precise measurements); objective approach (info can be generalized in
specific situations); explain cause and effect types of relationships; test for intervention
effectiveness
Qualitative approach - Answers Seeks to understand the meaning of human experience; data
are words/text; subjective approach; narrative description of experiences; looking for patterns or
themes
Triangulation - Answers Using multiple approaches to validate data; cross verifying the same
info; both quantitative and qualitative data are used to solve a research problem; often used for
credibility; well for comprehensiveness
Identifying problem and purpose statement, review of related literature, identifying pertinent
variables, and formulating research questions and hypotheses; select a topic that interests you
and that is needed, draft a purpose statement, identify your population, conduct a lit review to
find existing knowledge and gaps, decide up variables you want to include to measure (ex. age),
decide upon a theoretical framework to help guide your study, and write out your research
questions and/or hypotheses at this point - Answers What elements are involved in phase 1 of
the research process?
Selecting a research design: identifying sample and setting, defining all measurements;
determining your staffing team and strategy, specify your sample and your subset of population,
specify your setting or location to conduct your study and collect data, choose an appropriate
research design, aligned with your research question and hypotheses, select measurements or
tools you'd use to collect data (should be reliable and valid) - Answers What elements are
involved in phase 2 of the research process?
Methods: Data collection methods; determine how the data will be collected (in terms of the
time frame and how often), determine who will collect the data, how you will enter the data
(come out with your data analysis plan) - Answers What elements are involved in phase 3 of the
research process?
Data analysis: interpreting findings, analyzing data; select an appropriate analytical procedure,
based on the number of groups, level of measurement of your variables, shape of the data,
sample size, and a host of other things that go into selecting the appropriate analytical
, procedure; interpret results in respect to your research question and/or hypotheses - Answers
What elements are involved in phase 4 of the research process?
Utilizing research: disseminating research findings; share results at conferences or in
publications, reputable journals, or in house presentations - Answers What elements are
involved in phase 5 of the research process?
Evidence-based practice (EBP) - Answers the collection, interpretation, and integration of valid
research evidence, combined with clinical expertise, and an understanding of patient and family
values and preferences, to inform clinical decision making
ask, gather, appraise, act, evaluate - Answers Evidence based practice steps
Research article - Answers Follows the steps of the research process; not a "how to" but
answers a question with all the components of the research process clearly presented or
identified; quantitative
Clinical guidelines - Answers Developed to assist in bridging practice and research; guidelines
provide clinicians with algorithms for clinical management of specific diseases or treatments
(i.e. pain management)
Consensus or expert-based clinical guidelines - Answers clinical guidelines developed by expert
panels
Evience-based clinical guidelines - Answers Clinical guidelines developed using research
findings
Systematic reviews - Answers summation and assessment of a group of research studies that
test a similar research question; 3 types: meta-analysis, integrative review, and meta-synthesis
Meta-analysis - Answers Uses statistical methods to analyze combined data from multiple
studies; summary of a number of quantitative studies focused on a question/topic using a
specific statistical methodology to synthesize the findings in order to draw conclusions about
the area of focus (resulting in a combined or overall statistic)
Integrative review - Answers A focused review and synthesis in narrative form of research on a
particular area that follows specific steps of literature integration and synthesis without
statistical analysis and can include both quantitative and qualitative articles; summarizes the
findings of multiple studies on a particular subject
Meta-synthesis - Answers Uses qualitative methods to analyze combined data from multiple
studies; synthesis (in narrative form) of a number of qualitative research studies on a focused
topic using specific qualitative methodology
Level of evidence - Answers 7 levels that rank evidence based on a study's design; level 1 is
considered to be the highest level, most important evidence that can be gathered