1. Nursing 326 – Research Nursing Research Web Address: http://www.utc.edu/judith-wakim Click on N423 or Access the same site from Blackboard Back to class 1

2. Orientation to Nursing 326 Who’s Who Course Description and Purpose Objectives Textbooks Teaching Strategies Evaluation Methods Grading Criteria and Grading Scale Schedule and Assignments

3. Orientation to Research What is research? A systematic process of inquiry What are the characteristics of quantitative research? Organized and logical Objective, requiring an open mind Assumes everything subject to law and order Studies cause and effect Involves conscious technique Is carefully recorded and reported

4. What are the goals of research? To acquire an increased body of knowledge To discover new facts or new relationships between facts already known To acquire new understandings To improve existing techniques and develop new instruments or products To find answers to problems which have only been partially solved

5. What are the goals of research specific to the professions? To develop and refine professional knowledge and theories and, thereby, to guide the profession’s practice To improve service to the profession’s clientele and, therefore, to improve the profession

6. What are the three major stages of research? 1. Establishment of the topic, a specific problem and a procedure for solving the problem – this ends in a written proposal 2. Conducting the study in the way that was laid out in the proposal 3. Writing up the results of the research – a report of what was done and how it was done, the results obtained and what the results mean (conclusions) and what should be done about them (recommendations)

7. What is the difference between basic and applied research? Pure or basic research is undertaken for the intellectual pursuit of learning and accretion of knowledge. When it stimulates other research it is called heuristic. It is more theoretical and does not produce immediate answers Applied research is more practical in nature. It is utilitarian and its objective imply change. It is useful and can be applied more quickly. It develops from problems and from recognized needs.

8. What does research in nursing include? Nursing education Practitioners Clients Nursing practice Prevention Therapeutic intervention Rehabilitation Terminal care Nursing administration Nursing research Instruments Methodology

9. Why do nurses do research? Professional nurses Curiosity Advancement Part of the job Student nurses Curiosity To acquire knowledge of the research process To acquire specific skills during the research process To fulfill the requirements of a course for graduation

10. What are some deterrents to nursing research?

11. Ways Nurses Come to Know Traditions Authority Trial and Error Intuition Personal Experience Reasoning – inductive, deductive Research

12. Knowledge from Research Can be Used for: Description – identify phenomena Describe what exists Discover new information Categorize or classify information Explanation – clarify and test relationships among phenomena Prediction – estimate probability of a specific outcome occurring in a specific situation Control – manipulate a situation to produce a specific outcome

13. Research vs. Problem-Solving Research – purpose is to acquire new knowledge – this is also true of problem- solving Variables not being studied must be controlled All elements must be explicitly described Appropriate statistics are used Must aim to generalize to a larger pop. The search for new knowledge is done in a setting and with subjects different from those giving rise to the problem This requires a written proposal in sufficient detail so that it could be replicated There is a moral obligation to write a report Problem-solving -purpose is to solve an immediate problem – this is not always true with research It is not necessary to control variables All elements do not need to be precise Data may simply be frequency counts The aim is to solve the problem in the pop. being studied Facts are gathered in the same setting and from many of the same subjects that gave rise to the study No proposal is required Findings may be reported verbally or on tables

14. Flow Chart of the Research Process Nursing ScienceRelated ScienceSocietal Conditions Nursing Practice PROBLEM Theory/Logical Structure Objectives QuestionsHypotheses Investigatory Plan Experimental Design Implement Plan or Design Related Science, Knowledge, Practice

15. Flow Chart of the Research Process cont. Implement the Plan/Design Obtain Findings Draw Conclusions and Implications Nursing Science and Knowledge, Related Science, Societal Conditions, Nursing Practice Disseminate New Problem Project to

16. Finding a Researchable Problem What is a researchable question? An explicit query about a problem or issue that can be challenged, examined, and analyzed and that will yield useful new information Some questions are not researchable They already have answers – How many toes does a 3-toed sloth have? They can only elicit an opinion – How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? They are ethical dilemmas – Should I give a lethal injection if I am a prison nurse? They can be satisfied by an immediate answer – How do I get to your house?

17. Where do you look for a research topic? Your own thoughts, observations, experiences Things you know something about or want to learn about Things you are interested in Facts or opinions that contrast with another’s point of view Things you couldn’t positively prove wrong about what you read or heard, but you know it doesn’t seem right Things you’ve read up on and have some knowledge of try to find something about them that you can research Conclusions and recommendations of research articles. Questions about nursing or medical traditions or practices Desire to test the applicability of a theory Relax – jot down general ideas –select the best Narrow the topic down to a problem area

18. Narrowing the topic of “Comfort” What is it? (Pt’s definition, nurse definition) What kinds of comfort are there? How many patients want it, when, how much, where, how long? How many nurses give it, when, how often, where, how long? How do patients request it and how do nurses respond? Why are things this way? What would happen if...? What kind of framework would this fit into? Any one question could be the problem area Back to Class One