Reference no: EM134014838

Advanced Nursing Inquiry, Research, and Evidence-Based Practice

Study Design

Was the study a qualitative or quantitative design? Explain.

Practice Problem

State the practice problem/issue that is the focus of the study.

How does this practice problem/issue affect your nursing practice?

Study Purpose

State the purpose of the study.

Discuss whether this study was feasible to conduct in terms of money commitment; the researchers' expertise; availability of subjects, and ethical considerations.

Review of Literature

Was the literature review organized to show the progressive development of evidence from previous research?

Was a clear, concise summary presented of the current empirical and theoretical knowledge in the area of the study?

Did the literature review summary identify what was known and not known about the research problem? Did it logically direct the research purpose?

Theoretical Framework

Is a conceptual model or theoretical framework used? If so, is it presented with clarity? Does it adequately explain the phenomenon of concern?

Is the framework linked to the research purpose? If not, would another framework fit more logically with the study?

If a proposition or relationship from a theory is to be tested, is the proposition clearly identified and linked to the study hypothesis?

Research Question(s) and Hpothesis(es)

What is the research question? Is it clearly stated?

Does the research question match the purpose of the study?

What is the research hypothesis? Is it clearly stated?

Does the hypothesis match the purpose of the study?

Formulate a null hypothesis for this study.

Were the objectives, questions, or hypotheses logically linked to the concepts and relationships (propositions) in the framework? Explain.

Variables

List all research variables with corresponding levels of measurement on the NOIR scale.

Do variables represent the concepts identified in the framework?

How is each study variable defined (bothconceptually and operationally)?

Are conceptual definitions of variables consistent with operational definitions?

Study Design

What was the design was used in the study? Was it the most appropriate design to answer the study question? Explain.

Was the design logically linked to the sampling method and statistical analyses? Consider whether the selected research approaches supported the study objectives.

Did the design provide a means to examine all objectives, questions, or hypotheses?

If there was an intervention (treatment) in the study:

- what was the intervention? was it clearly described?

- was the treatment appropriate for examining the study purpose and hypotheses?

- did the study framework explain the links between the treatment (independent variable) and the proposed outcomes (dependent variables)?

- were subjects randomly assigned to the treatment group, or were the treatment and comparison groups dependent?

- were the treatment and comparison group assignments appropriate for the purpose of the study?

- was a protocol developed to promote consistent implementation of the treatment to ensure intervention fidelity?

- did the researcher monitor implementation of the treatment to ensure consistency? How might this impact findings?

Study Sample

Were any subjects excluded from the study because of age, socioeconomic status, or ethnicity? If so, explain. Was sound rationale provided?

Did the sample include an understudied or vulnerable population, such as young, elderly, pregnant, or minority subjects?

What sampling criteria (inclusion and exclusion) were used? Was sampling criteria appropriate for the type of study conducted? Explain.

Were the rights of human subjects protected? Explain.

Was the refusal rate for the study provided? If so:

- was it greater than 20%?

- how might this have affected the representativeness of the sample?

- did the researchers provide rationale for the refusals?

Was the attrition rate for the study provided? If so:

- what was it?

- did the researchers provide a rationale for the attrition of study participants?

- how did attrition influence the final sample as well as study results and findings?

How large is the sample?

How was sample size determined? Review whether research objectives and quantitative research techniques were used to justify the sample size.