NRS433 Introduction to Nursing Research
Week 1 Discussion
DQ1 PICOT
is utilized by the health care community to identify and study a nursing or
medical practice problem. Consequently, PICOT examples that may provide insight
into the use of the PICOT process, may not be relevant to nursing practice as
they are based on a medical practice problem.
Describe
the difference between a nursing practice problem and a medical practice
problem. Provide one example of each. Discuss why is it important to ensure your
PICOT is based on a nursing practice problem.
DQ2 Nursing
research is used to study a dilemma or a problem in nursing. Examine a problem
you have seen in nursing. Provide an overview of the problem and discuss why
the problem should be studied. Provide rational and support for your answer.
NRS433 Introduction to Nursing Research
Week 2 Discussion
DQ1 Qualitative
data has been described as voluminous and sometimes overwhelming to the
researcher. Discuss two strategies that would help a researcher manage and
organize the data.
DQ2 The
three types of qualitative research are phenomenological, grounded theory, and
ethnographic research. Compare the differences and similarities between two of
the three types of qualitative studies and give an example of each.
NRS433 Introduction to Nursing Research
Week 3 Discussion
DQ1 Provide
examples of experimental and nonexperimental research design. Contrast the
levels of control applied to each.
DQ2 Describe
sampling theory and provide examples to illustrate your definition. Discuss
generalizability as it applies to nursing research.
NRS433 Introduction to Nursing Research
Week 4 Discussion
DQ1 Compare
independent variables, dependent variables,
and extraneous variables. Describe two
ways that researchers attempt to control extraneous variables. Support your
answer with peer-reviewed articles.
DQ2 Describe
the "levels of evidence" and provide an example of the type of
practice change that could result from each.
NRS433 Introduction to Nursing Research
Week 5 Discussion
DQ1 The
theoretical foundations of qualitative and quantitative methods are very
different, but many researchers believe both methods should be used in the
research study to increase validity and reliability. What advantages or
disadvantages do you see in using both types of methods in a nursing study?
Support your answer with current evidence-based literature.
DQ2 According
to the textbook, nurses in various settings are adopting a research-based (or
evidence-based) practice that incorporates research findings into their
decisions and interactions with clients. How do you see this being applied in
your workplace?
NRS433 Introduction to Nursing Research
Week 1 Assignment
PICOT
Question and Literature Search
The first
step of the evidence-based practice process is to evaluate a nursing practice
environment to identify a nursing problem in the clinical area. When a nursing
problem is discovered, the nurse researcher develops a clinical guiding
question to address that nursing practice problem.
For this
assignment, you will create a clinical guiding question know as a PICOT
question. The PICOT question must be relevant to a nursing practice problem. To
support your PICOT question, identify six supporting peer-revised research
articles, as indicated below. The PICOT question and six peer-reviewed research
articles you choose will be utilized for subsequent assignments.
Use the
"Literature Evaluation Table" to complete this assignment.
Select a
nursing practice problem of interest to use as the focus of your research.
Start with the patient population and identify a clinical problem or issue that
arises from the patient population. In 200–250 words, provide a summary of the
clinical issue.
Following
the PICOT format, write a PICOT question in your selected nursing practice
problem area of interest. The PICOT question should be applicable to your
proposed capstone project (the project students must complete during their
final course in the RN-BSN program of study).
The PICOT
question will provide a framework for your capstone project.
Conduct a
literature search to locate six research articles focused on your selected
nursing practice problem of interest. This literature search should include
three quantitative and three qualitative peer-reviewed research articles to
support your nursing practice problem.
Note: To
assist in your search, remove the words qualitative and quantitative and
include words that narrow or broaden your main topic. For example: Search for
diabetes and pediatric and dialysis. To determine what research design was used
in the articles the search produced, review the abstract and the methods
section of the article. The author will provide a description of data
collection using qualitative or quantitative methods. Systematic Reviews, Literature
Reviews, and Metanalysis articles are good resources and provide a strong level
of evidence but are not considered primary research articles. Therefore, they should not be included in
this assignment.
While APA
style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing
is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA
formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in
the Student Success Center.
This
assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the
assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are not
required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.
NRS433 Introduction to Nursing Research
Week 2 Assignment
Rough Draft
Qualitative Research Critique and Ethical Considerations
Write a
critical appraisal that demonstrates comprehension of two qualitative research
studies. Use the "Research Critique Guidelines – Part 1" document to
organize your essay. Successful completion of this assignment requires that you
provide rationale, include examples, and reference content from the studies in
your responses.
Use the
practice problem and two qualitative, peer-reviewed research article you
identified in the Topic 1 assignment to complete this assignment.
In a
1,000–1,250 word essay, summarize two qualitative studies, explain the ways in
which the findings might be used in nursing practice, and address ethical
considerations associated with the conduct of the study.
Prepare
this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide,
located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This
assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the
assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
Research
Critique Guidelines
To write a
critical appraisal that demonstrates comprehension of the research study
conducted, address each component below for qualitative study in the Topic 2
assignment and the quantitative study in the Topic 3 assignment.
Successful
completion of this assignment requires that you provide a rationale, include
examples, or reference content from the study in your responses.
Qualitative
Study
Background
of Study:
• Identify the clinical problem and
research problem that led to the study. What was not known about the clinical
problem that, if understood, could be used to improve health care delivery or
patient outcomes? This gap in knowledge is the research problem.
• How did the author establish the
significance of the study? In other words, why should the reader care about
this study? Look for statements about human suffering, costs of treatment, or
the number of people affected by the clinical problem.
• Identify the purpose of the study.
An author may clearly state the purpose of the study or may describe the
purpose as the study goals, objectives, or aims.
• List research questions that the
study was designed to answer. If the author does not explicitly provide the
questions, attempt to infer the questions from the answers.
• Were the purpose and research
questions related to the problem?
Method of
Study:
• Were qualitative methods
appropriate to answer the research questions?
• Did the author identify a specific
perspective from which the study was developed? If so, what was it?
• Did the author cite quantitative
and qualitative studies relevant to the focus of the study? What other types of
literature did the author include?
• Are the references current? For
qualitative studies, the author may have included studies older than the 5-year
limit typically used for quantitative studies. Findings of older qualitative
studies may be relevant to a qualitative study.
• Did the author evaluate or indicate
the weaknesses of the available studies?
• Did the literature review include
adequate information to build a logical argument?
• When a researcher uses the grounded
theory method of qualitative inquiry, the researcher may develop a framework or
diagram as part of the findings of the study. Was a framework developed from
the study findings?
Results of
Study
• What were the study findings?
• What are the implications to
nursing?
• Explain how the findings contribute
to nursing knowledge/science. Would this impact practice, education, administration,
or all areas of nursing?
Ethical
Considerations
• Was the study approved by an
Institutional Review Board?
• Was patient privacy protected?
• Were there ethical considerations
regarding the treatment or lack of?
Conclusion
• Emphasize the importance and
congruity of the thesis statement.
• Provide a logical wrap-up to bring
the appraisal to completion and to leave a lasting impression and take-away
points useful in nursing practice.
• Incorporate a critical appraisal
and a brief analysis of the utility and applicability of the findings to
nursing practice.
• Integrate a summary of the
knowledge learned.
Quantitative
Study
Background
of Study:
• Identify the clinical problem and
research problem that led to the study. What was not known about the clinical
problem that, if understood, could be used to improve health care delivery or
patient outcomes? This gap in knowledge is the research problem.
• How did the author establish the
significance of the study? In other words, why should the reader care about
this study? Look for statements about human suffering, costs of treatment, or
the number of people affected by the clinical problem.
• Identify the purpose of the study.
An author may clearly state the purpose of the study or may describe the purpose
as the study goals, objectives, or aims.
• List research questions that the
study was designed to answer. If the author does not explicitly provide the
questions, attempt to infer the questions from the answers.
• Were the purpose and research
questions related to the problem?
Methods of Study
• Identify the benefits and risks of
participation addressed by the authors. Were there benefits or risks the
authors do not identify?
• Was informed consent obtained from
the subjects or participants?
• Did it seem that the subjects
participated voluntarily in the study?
• Was institutional review board
approval obtained from the agency in which the study was conducted?
• Are the major variables
(independent and dependent variables) identified and defined? What were these
variables?
• How were data collected in this
study?
• What rationale did the author
provide for using this data collection method?
• Identify the time period for data
collection of the study.
• Describe the sequence of data
collection events for a participant.
• Describe the data management and
analysis methods used in the study.
• Did the author discuss how the
rigor of the process was assured? For example, does the author describe
maintaining a paper trail of critical decisions that were made during the
analysis of the data? Was statistical software used to ensure accuracy of the
analysis?
• What measures were used to minimize
the effects of researcher bias (their experiences and perspectives)? For
example, did two researchers independently analyze the data and compare their
analyses?
Results of Study
• What is the researcher's
interpretation of findings?
• Are the findings valid or an
accurate reflection of reality? Do you have confidence in the findings?
• What limitations of the study were
identified by researchers?
• Was there a coherent logic to the
presentation of findings?
• What implications do the findings
have for nursing practice? For example, can the findings of the study be
applied to general nursing practice, to a specific population, or to a specific
area of nursing?
• What suggestions are made for
further studies?
Ethical
Considerations
• Was the study approved by an
Institutional Review Board?
• Was patient privacy protected?
• Were there ethical considerations
regarding the treatment or lack of?
Conclusion
• Emphasize the importance and
congruity of the thesis statement.
• Provide a logical wrap-up to bring
the appraisal to completion and to leave a lasting impression and take-away
points useful in nursing practice.
• Incorporate a critical appraisal
and a brief analysis of the utility and applicability of the findings to
nursing practice.
• Integrate a summary of the
knowledge learned.
Reference
Burns, N.,
& Grove, S. (2011). Understanding nursing research (5th ed.). St. Louis,
MO: Elsevier.
NRS433 Introduction to Nursing Research
Week 3 Assignment
Rough Draft
Quantitative Research Critique and Ethical Considerations
Write a
critical appraisal that demonstrates comprehension of two quantitative research
studies. Use the "Research Critique Guidelines – Part II" document to
organize your essay. Successful completion of this assignment requires that you
provide a rationale, include examples, and reference content from the study in
your responses.
Use the
practice problem and two quantitative, peer?reviewed research articles you
identified in the Topic 1 assignment to complete this assignment.
In a
1,000–1,250 word essay, summarize two quantitative studies, explain the ways in
which the findings might be used in nursing practice, and address ethical
considerations associated with the conduct of the study.
Prepare
this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide,
located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This
assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the
assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are
required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite
Technical Support articles for assistance.
NRS433 Introduction to Nursing Research
Week 5 Assignment
Research
Critiques and PICOT Statement Final Draft
Prepare
this assignment as a 1,500-1,750 word paper using the instructor feedback from
the previous course assignments and the guidelines below.
PICOT
Question
Revise the
PICOT question you wrote in the Topic 1 assignment using the feedback you
received from your instructor.
The final
PICOT question will provide a framework for your capstone project (the project
students must complete during their final course in the RN-BSN program of
study).
Research
Critiques
In the
Topic 2 and Topic 3 assignments, you completed a qualitative and quantitative
research critique on two articles for each type of study (4 articles total).
Use the feedback you received from your instructor on these assignments to
finalize the critical analysis of each study by making appropriate revisions.
The
completed analysis should connect to your identified practice problem of
interest that is the basis for your PICOT question.
Refer to
"Research Critiques and PICOT Guidelines - Final Draft." Questions
under each heading should be addressed as a narrative in the structure of a
formal paper.
Proposed
Evidence-Based Practice Change
Discuss the
link between the PICOT question, the research articles, and the nursing
practice problem you identified. Include relevant details and supporting
explanation and use that information to propose evidence-based practice
changes.
General
Requirements
Prepare
this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide,
located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This
assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the
assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
