Nursing Research
Definitions
Diers
 “A
systematic study of
problems in patient
care.”
Abdellah
 “A
systematic detailed
attempt to discover or
confirm facts that relate to a
specific problem to improve
the practice and profession
of nursing.”
Polit and Hungler
 “A
systematic search for
knowledge about issues of
importance to nursing.”
Henderson
 “A
study of the problems in
practice relating to the effects
of nursing.”
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
Why do research?
 Professionalism
 Accountability
 Social
Relevance
Evolution of Nursing
Research
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Education/Recruitment
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Administration/Staffing
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Practice
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Methodology/Theory based research
Current Trends
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Health Promotion
Nursing Decision Making
Effectiveness of Nursing Intervention
in Selected Health Problems
Prevention
Case Studies/Qualitative Research
Ethnographic Studies
Compliance
Conferences for Research
Priorities
#1 through 1994
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HIV
Long term care
Low birth weight
Symptom management
Nursing informatics
Technology
Health Promotion
#2 through 1999
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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
Epistemology
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Sources of Human Knowledge
or “how we know what we know”
Sources of Knowledge
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Tradition or tenacity
Authority
Experience
Intuition
Trial and Error
Logical Reasoning
– Induction
– Deduction
Scientific Method
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
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Authority
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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?
Experience
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Our own experiences may be too limited
to generalize from
Intuition
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It just “ seems” right
Trial and error
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Haphazard
unsystematic
inefficient
usually unrecorded
must make the same mistakes or
discoveries over and over again
Logical Reasoning
Induction--developing generalizations
from specific observations
Induction
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Specifics
Generalizations

Deduction
 Deduction--developing specific
predictions from general principles
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Scientific Method
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The most advanced method of acquiring
knowledge that humans have
developed.
Scientific Method
Order
 Control
 Empiricism
 Generalization
 Theoretical Formulation
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Order
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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
Control
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In trying to isolate relationships among
phenomena, scientists must control
phenomena and factors not under
study.
Empiricism
Evidence rooted in objective reality and
gathered directly or indirectly through
the human senses.
Research is based in REALITY
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Generalization
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No research is ever done just to benefit
the subjects, in order to have value it
must be generalizable to a wider
population.
Theoretical formulation
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Theories are manner of organizing,
integrating and deriving abstract
conceptualization about the manner in
which phenomena are interrelated.
LIMITS OF SCIENTIFIC
METHOD
1. Values or ethics
 2. Human complexity
 3. Measurement problems
 4. Control
 5. Ethical considerations
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PARADIGMS FOR NURSING
RESEARCH
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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?
POSITIVIST PARADIGM
 Nature
is ordered and regular
and can be predicted.
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.
 QUANTITATIVE
RESEARCH
vs
 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
PURPOSES OF RESEARCH
Identification
 Description
 Exploration
 Explanation
 Prediction and Control
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Types of Research by Utility
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BASIC RESEARCH
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APPLIED RESEARCH
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COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
RELATIONSHIPS
CAUSAL vs ASSOCIATIONAL
Requirements for causality
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concomitant variation
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temporal sequencing
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absence of competing explanations
STEPS IN THE RESEARCH
PROCESS
(Quantitative Research)
CONCEPTUAL PHASE
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1. Formulating and Delimiting the
Problem
2. Reviewing the Literature
3. Developing a Theoretical
Framework
4. Identifying the Research Variables
5. Formulating Hypotheses
DESIGN AND PLANNING
PHASE
6. Selecting a Research Design
 7. Specifying the Population
 8. Operationalizing the Variables
 9. Conducting the Pilot
Study/Making Revisions
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EMPIRICAL PHASE
 10.
Selecting the Sample
 11. Collecting the Data
 12. Organizing Data for
Analysis
ANALYTIC PHASE
 13.
Analyzing the Data
 14. Interpreting the Results
DISSEMINATION PHASE
 15.
Communicating Results
STEPS IN THE RESEARCH
PROCESS
(Qualitative Research)
Circular and Flexible
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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
TERMINOLOGY
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CONCEPTS/CONSTRUCTS
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION
VARIABLES
DATA
HYPOTHESIS (research or
null/statistical)
PROBLEM STATEMENT
RESEARCH DESIGNS
SAMPLE/POPULATION
Concepts/Constructs
Refined general or abstract idea
“good health”
“nursing care”
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Conceptual Framework
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A series of concepts or ideas connected
by statements about the relationships
that exist among them
Operational Definitions
Specifications of the specific and explicit
operations which the researcher must
perform in order to collect the required
information
“Operationalizing the concept”
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Variables
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Something which varies
An abstract entity which takes on
different values.
DATA
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Pieces of information obtained in the
course of the study
Hypothesis
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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
Problem Statement
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A the research question or a statement
about the purpose of the study.
Research Designs
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Basic designs are experimental and non
experimental (or descriptive)
Sample/Population
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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
RESEARCH REPORTS
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ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
METHOD
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
Abstract
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An abbreviated summary of the
research problem, methodology,
findings and significance.
INTRODUCTION
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PURPOSE, RESEARCH QUESTIONS,
HYPOTHESES
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
SIGNIFICANCE OF PROBLEM
METHOD
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SUBJECTS
RESEARCH DESIGN
INSTRUMENTS AND DATA
COLLECTION
STUDY PROCEDURES
RESULTS
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STATISTICAL TESTS USED
VALUE OF THE STATISTIC
STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE
THEMES (Qualitative Research)
DISCUSSION
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INTERPRETATION
IMPLICATIONS
LIMITATIONS
REFERENCES
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All of the literature used in
writing the research article.
Should contain mostly recent
and primary sources.