1. Nursing Research Definitions

2. Diers
“A systematic study of problems in patient care.”

3. Abdellah
“A systematic detailed attempt to discover or confirm facts that relate to a specific problem to improve the practice and profession of nursing.”

4. Polit and Hungler
“A systematic search for knowledge about issues of importance to nursing.”

5. Henderson
“A study of the problems in practice relating to the effects of nursing.”

6. Ways to “use” nursing research:
--journal clubs
--critique research for patient care purposes
--explaining research to clients
--data collection for others
--reviewing methodology for IRB
--finding research problems
--using research results in patient care or education

7. Why do research?
Professionalism
Accountability
Social Relevance

8. Evolution of Nursing Research
Education/Recruitment
Administration/Staffing
Practice
Methodology/Theory based research

9. Current Trends Health Promotion Nursing Decision Making
Effectiveness of Nursing Intervention in Selected Health Problems
Prevention
Case Studies/Qualitative Research
Ethnographic Studies
Compliance

10. Conferences for Research Priorities

11. #1 through 1994 HIV Long term care Low birth weight Symptom management
Nursing informatics
Technology
Health Promotion

12. #2 through 1999 Develop and test community based nursing models
Assess effectiveness of nursing interventions with HIV
Develop and test approaches to remediate cognitive impairment
Assess coping with chronic illness
Methods for promoting immunocompetence

13. Epistemology
Sources of Human Knowledge
or “how we know what we know”

14. Sources of Knowledge Tradition or tenacity Authority Experience
Intuition
Trial and Error
Logical Reasoning
Induction
Deduction
Scientific Method

15. Tradition/tenacity Something we know because we have always known it.
Advantages:
Efficient, provides a foundation of truths
Disadvantages:
Most traditions have not been evaluated for their value

16. Authority
We know a thing because some authoritative source says it is so
Authorities are not infallible, so always question authority--what is the evidence that this is true?

17. Experience
Our own experiences may be too limited to generalize from

18. Intuition
It just “ seems” right

19. Trial and error Haphazard unsystematic inefficient usually unrecorded
must make the same mistakes or discoveries over and over again

20. Logical Reasoning
Induction--developing generalizations from specific observations
Induction

Specifics Generalizations

Deduction
Deduction--developing specific predictions from general principles

21. Scientific Method
The most advanced method of acquiring knowledge that humans have developed.

22. Scientific Method Order Control Empiricism Generalization
Theoretical Formulation

23. Order
Systematic prescribed order in order to have reproducibility and confidence in the results
problem identified
defined
predictions of oucome
information collected according to design
analysis
conclusion

24. Control
In trying to isolate relationships among phenomena, scientists must control phenomena and factors not under study.

25. Empiricism
Evidence rooted in objective reality and gathered directly or indirectly through the human senses.
Research is based in REALITY

26. Generalization
No research is ever done just to benefit the subjects, in order to have value it must be generalizable to a wider population.

27. Theoretical formulation
Theories are manner of organizing, integrating and deriving abstract conceptualization about the manner in which phenomena are interrelated.

28. LIMITS OF SCIENTIFIC METHOD
1. Values or ethics
2. Human complexity
3. Measurement problems
4. Control
5. Ethical considerations

29. PARADIGMS FOR NURSING RESEARCH
ONTOLOGIC-What is the nature of reality?
EPISTEMOLOGIC-What is the relationship between the inquirer and that being studied?
AXIOLOGIC-What is the role of values in inquiry?
METHODOLOGIC-How should the inquirer obtain knowledge?

30. POSITIVIST PARADIGM
Nature is ordered and regular and can be predicted.

31. NATURALISTIC OR PHENOMENOLOGIC PARADIGM
Reality not fixed but exists within a context, many interpretations are possible. Nothing is absolutely true or false, only within a context.

32. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH vs
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

33. PURPOSES OF RESEARCH Identification Description Exploration
Explanation
Prediction and Control

34. Types of Research by Utility
BASIC RESEARCH
APPLIED RESEARCH
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

35. RELATIONSHIPS CAUSAL vs ASSOCIATIONAL

36. Requirements for causality
concomitant variation
temporal sequencing
absence of competing explanations

37. STEPS IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS (Quantitative Research)

38. CONCEPTUAL PHASE 1. Formulating and Delimiting the Problem
2. Reviewing the Literature
3. Developing a Theoretical Framework
4. Identifying the Research Variables
5. Formulating Hypotheses

39. DESIGN AND PLANNING PHASE
6. Selecting a Research Design
7. Specifying the Population
8. Operationalizing the Variables
9. Conducting the Pilot Study/Making Revisions

40. EMPIRICAL PHASE 10. Selecting the Sample 11. Collecting the Data
12. Organizing Data for Analysis

41. ANALYTIC PHASE
13. Analyzing the Data
14. Interpreting the Results

42. DISSEMINATION PHASE
15. Communicating Results

43. STEPS IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS (Qualitative Research)
Circular and Flexible

44. 1. Define/Clarify Broad Topic
2. Review of the Literature?
3. Identify Site/Setting
4. Obtain Access
5. Obtain and Test Equipment
6. Begin Data Collection/Analysis
7. Identify Themes/Categories
8. Triangulation/Saturation
9. Formulate Hypotheses/Theories
10. Communicate Findings

45. TERMINOLOGY CONCEPTS/CONSTRUCTS CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION
VARIABLES
DATA
HYPOTHESIS (research or null/statistical)
PROBLEM STATEMENT
RESEARCH DESIGNS
SAMPLE/POPULATION

46. Concepts/Constructs Refined general or abstract idea “good health”
“nursing care”

47. Conceptual Framework
A series of concepts or ideas connected by statements about the relationships that exist among them

48. Operational Definitions
Specifications of the specific and explicit operations which the researcher must perform in order to collect the required information
“Operationalizing the concept”

49. Variables Something which varies
An abstract entity which takes on different values.

50. DATA
Pieces of information obtained in the course of the study

51. Hypothesis
Research--A statement of the expectations of the researcher concerning the relationships of the variables under study HR
Null or Statistical--states that there is no relationship among the variables HO

52. Problem Statement
A the research question or a statement about the purpose of the study.

53. Research Designs
Basic designs are experimental and non experimental (or descriptive)

54. Sample/Population Sample--the subjects participating in the study
Population--the whole universe of possible subjects
Target population--the group to whom the researcher wishes to generalize the results of the study

55. RESEARCH REPORTS ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION METHOD RESULTS DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

56. Abstract
An abbreviated summary of the research problem, methodology, findings and significance.

57. INTRODUCTION PURPOSE, RESEARCH QUESTIONS, HYPOTHESES
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
SIGNIFICANCE OF PROBLEM

58. METHOD SUBJECTS RESEARCH DESIGN INSTRUMENTS AND DATA COLLECTION
STUDY PROCEDURES

59. RESULTS STATISTICAL TESTS USED VALUE OF THE STATISTIC
STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE
THEMES (Qualitative Research)

60. DISCUSSION
INTERPRETATION
IMPLICATIONS
LIMITATIONS

61. REFERENCES
All of the literature used in writing the research article. Should contain mostly recent and primary sources.