Quiz 1

critiquing studies on a selected topic or practice problem

integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values and needs in the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective health care

moves from the specific statement to the general statement

• - A headache is an altered level of health that is stressful
• - A terminal illness is an altered level of health that is stressful
• Therefore, it can be induced that all altered levels of health are stressful.

moves from the general premise to a particular conclusion

• - All human beings experience loss
• - All adolescents are human beings
• Therefore, it can be deduced that all adolescents experience loss.

a statement of the proposed relationshiop between two or more concepts

• a formal, objective, systematic process in which numerical data are used to obtain information about the world
• theory testing

focuses on examining the result of care or determining the changes in health status for the patient

• the exploration and description of phenomena in real-life situations; it provides an accurate account of characteristics of particular individuals, situations, or groups
• a type of quantitative research

• involves the systematic investigation of relationships between or among variables
• a type of quantitative research

the pursuit of "knowledge for knowledge's sake"

scientific investigation conducted to generate knowledge that will directly influence or improve clinical practice

• striving for excellence in research
• requires discipline, adherence to detail, and strict accuracy

• accuracy, detail and order
• an aspect of rigor

rules made to decrease the possibility of error, thereby increasing the probability that the study's findings are an accurate reflection of reality

• a purpose
• a series of actions
• a goal

• subset of the problem-solving process
• steps: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation, and modification

• conceptualizing a research project
• planning and implementing that project
• communicating the findings

generates a picture of what is known and not known about a particular problem

the abstract, theoretical basis for a study that enables the researcher to link the findings to nursing's body of knowledge

an integrated set of defined concepts and relational statements that present a view of a phenomenon and can be used to describe, explain, predict, or control the phenomenon

restrictions in a study that may decrease the credibility and generalizability of the findings

weaknessess in the framework and definitions that restrict the generalization of the findings

limit the credibility of the findings and restrict the population to which the findings can be generalized

• a smaller version of a proposed study
• conducted to refine the methodology

• all elements (individuals, objects, or substances) that meet certain criteria for inclusion in a study
• e.g. every male in the world who's in his 20s

• a subset of the population that is selected for a particular study
• members of a sample are the subjects
• e.g. the ten men, in their 20s, who are part of the study

the process of assigning numbers to objects (or events or situations) in accord with some rule

concerned with how consistently the measurement technique measures a variable or concept

the extent to which the instrument actually reflects or measures what it is supposed to measure

conducted to reduce, organize, and give meaning to the data

• summarizes the major elements of a study and identifies the contributions of that study to nursing knowledge
• used to communicate with other researchers
• filled with jargon

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• References

• conducted to determine the effect of a treatment or independent variable on the dependent or outcome variables
• causal research
• lack the design, sample, or setting that might be used in an experimental study
• a type of quantitative research

• examines cause-and-effect relationships between independent and dependent variables under highly controlled conditions
• an objective, systematic, highly controlled investigation for the purpose of predicting and controlling phenomena in nursing practice

• a systematic, subjective approach used to describe life experiences and give them meaning
• theory developing

• to capture the "lived experience" of study participants
• "what is the meaning of one's lived experience?"
• reality is subjective
• the world is shaped by, and shapes, the self
• a type of qualitative research

Parse, Watson, Benner

• reality is created by attaching meanings to situations, expressed in symbols
• how do people define reality and how their beliefs are related to their actions?
• a type of qualitative research

data -> theory (instead of theory -> data)

• mechanism for studying cultures
• "portrait of a people"
• a type of qualitative research

studying behaviors from within the culture

studying behaviors from outside the culture

focuses mainly on observing and documenting interactions with people of how these daily life conditions and patterns are influencing human care, health, and nursing care practices

• used to determine the validity of source material
• where, when, why, and by whom?
• does it measure what it's supposed to measure?

• examination of the reliability of the document
• determine possible biases of the author
• consistency?

has an impact on the collection and interpretation of data

the researcher explores personal feelings and experience that may influence the study and integrates this understanding into the study

• suspending or laying aside what the researcher already knows about the experience being studied
• reflexive thought leads to bracketing

associated with openness, scrupulous adherence to a philosophical perspective, thoroughness in collecting data, and consideration of all of the data in the subjective theory development phase

• Quantitative rigor: striving for excellence in research with discipline, adherence to detail and strict accuracy
• Qualitative rigor: openness, scrupulous adherence to philosophical perspective, thoroughness in collecting data, consideration of all the data

a careful, complete examination of a study to judge its strengths, weaknesses, logical links, meaning, and significance

• comprehension: understanding terms and concepts in the study
• comparison: knowledge of each step of the research process
• analysis: critique of logical links in study
• evaluation: meaning and significance of the study

• descriptive vividness: detail and richness
• methodological congruence: was the approach consistent with the philosophical basis of the study?
• analytical and interpretative preciseness: involves others in the interpretative process
• philosophical/theoretical connectedness: findings need to be clearly expressed, consistent and compatible
• heuristic relevance: reader's ability to recognize the phenomenon described in the study

the use of both quantitative methods and qualitative methods to create a true picture of reality

can interfere with the measurement of the study variables and the relationships among these variables

explains a concept in abstract/theoretical terms

explains a concept in concrete terms

strategies by which other researchers, using the same data, can follow the logic of the original researcher and arrive at the same conclusions