Research Critique Guidelines

To write a critical appraisal that demonstrates comprehension of the research study conducted, address each component below for qualitative study in the Topic 2 assignment and the quantitative study in the Topic 3 assignment.

Successful completion of this assignment requires that you provide a rationale, include examples, or reference content from the study in your responses.

Qualitative Study

Background of Study:

· Identify the clinical problem and research problem that led to the study. What was not known about the clinical problem that, if understood, could be used to improve health care delivery or patient outcomes? This gap in knowledge is the research problem.

· How did the author establish the significance of the study? In other words, why should the reader care about this study? Look for statements about human suffering, costs of treatment, or the number of people affected by the clinical problem.

· Identify the purpose of the study. An author may clearly state the purpose of the study or may describe the purpose as the study goals, objectives, or aims.

· List research questions that the study was designed to answer. If the author does not explicitly provide the questions, attempt to infer the questions from the answers.

· Were the purpose and research questions related to the problem?

Method of Study:

· Were qualitative methods appropriate to answer the research questions?

· Did the author identify a specific perspective from which the study was developed? If so, what was it?

· Did the author cite quantitative and qualitative studies relevant to the focus of the study? What other types of literature did the author include?

· Are the references current? For qualitative studies, the author may have included studies older than the 5-year limit typically used for quantitative studies. Findings of older qualitative studies may be relevant to a qualitative study.

· Did the author evaluate or indicate the weaknesses of the available studies?

· Did the literature review include adequate information to build a logical argument?

· When a researcher uses the grounded theory method of qualitative inquiry, the researcher may develop a framework or diagram as part of the findings of the study. Was a framework developed from the study findings?

Results of Study

· What were the study findings?

· What are the implications to nursing?

· Explain how the findings contribute to nursing knowledge/science. Would this impact practice, education, administration, or all areas of nursing?

Ethical Considerations

· Was the study approved by an Institutional Review Board?

· Was patient privacy protected?

· Were there ethical considerations regarding the treatment or lack of?

Conclusion

· Emphasize the importance and congruity of the thesis statement.

· Provide a logical wrap-up to bring the appraisal to completion and to leave a lasting impression and take-away points useful in nursing practice.

· Incorporate a critical appraisal and a brief analysis of the utility and applicability of the findings to nursing practice.

· Integrate a summary of the knowledge learned.

Quantitative Study

Background of Study:

· Identify the clinical problem and research problem that led to the study. What was not known about the clinical problem that, if understood, could be used to improve health care delivery or patient outcomes? This gap in knowledge is the research problem.

· How did the author establish the significance of the study? In other words, why should the reader care about this study? Look for statements about human suffering, costs of treatment, or the number of people affected by the clinical problem.

· Identify the purpose of the study. An author may clearly state the purpose of the study or may describe the purpose as the study goals, objectives, or aims.

· List research questions that the study was designed to answer. If the author does not explicitly provide the questions, attempt to infer the questions from the answers.

· Were the purpose and research questions related to the problem?

Methods of Study

· Identify the benefits and risks of participation addressed by the authors. Were there benefits or risks the authors do not identify?

· Was informed consent obtained from the subjects or participants?

· Did it seem that the subjects participated voluntarily in the study?

· Was institutional review board approval obtained from the agency in which the study was conducted?

· Are the major variables (independent and dependent variables) identified and defined? What were these variables?

· How were data collected in this study?

· What rationale did the author provide for using this data collection method?

· Identify the time period for data collection of the study.

· Describe the sequence of data collection events for a participant.

· Describe the data management and analysis methods used in the study.

· Did the author discuss how the rigor of the process was assured? For example, does the author describe maintaining a paper trail of critical decisions that were made during the analysis of the data? Was statistical software used to ensure accuracy of the analysis?

· What measures were used to minimize the effects of researcher bias (their experiences and perspectives)? For example, did two researchers independently analyze the data and compare their analyses?

Results of Study

· What is the researcher’s interpretation of findings?

· Are the findings valid or an accurate reflection of reality? Do you have confidence in the findings?

· What limitations of the study were identified by researchers?

· Was there a coherent logic to the presentation of findings?

· What implications do the findings have for nursing practice? For example, can the findings of the study be applied to general nursing practice, to a specific population, or to a specific area of nursing?

· What suggestions are made for further studies?

Ethical Considerations

· Was the study approved by an Institutional Review Board?

· Was patient privacy protected?

· Were there ethical considerations regarding the treatment or lack of?

Conclusion

· Emphasize the importance and congruity of the thesis statement.

· Provide a logical wrap-up to bring the appraisal to completion and to leave a lasting impression and take-away points useful in nursing practice.

· Incorporate a critical appraisal and a brief analysis of the utility and applicability of the findings to nursing practice.

· Integrate a summary of the knowledge learned.

Reference

Burns, N., & Grove, S. (2011). Understanding nursing research (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

© 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

4

 

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"

1-The facility should consider the financial aspect of its business. This means there is a need to have funds available to help in making the project a reality. It is imperative to have an adequate amount of money that will be considered useful to assist the project to achieve its existing objectives. Quality entails improving the overall delivery of medical care by having a high level of cleanliness within the context of the healthcare environment (McFarland et al., 2017). The clinical aspect is ensuring that nurses maintain cleanliness within the context of the medical care environment. The proposal will have a direct impact on finances by stating the amount of money required for the project. It will also have a quality implication by giving the specific aspects that the organization needs to consider. The clinical element should be implemented from the context of nursing because it is the role of these individuals to ensure that medical care delivery to patients is appropriated.

Reference

McFarland, D. C., Shen, M. J., Parker, P., Meyerson, S., & Holcombe, R. F. (2017). Does hospital size affect patient satisfaction? Quality management in health care, 26(4), 205-209.

2-After discussion with my mentor, one financial aspect to be considered for developing this evidence-based practice project is an analysis of cost to determine if the EBP project will produce adequate value. For my specific evidence-based practice proposal it will cost the organization no money to implement musical therapy to decreases agitation, anxiety, and aggression in dementia patient residing in the memory support unit directly impacting this EBP project making the value of the proposal go up. The implementation of the EBP project could ultimately reduce costs associated with the negative side effects associated with psychotropic medication use including increased fall risk and emergent transfer to the ER which can also be linked to a clinical aspect as well. One quality aspect to this EBP project is increasing positive patient outcome by decreasing negative behaviors exhibited by dementia patient, ultimately increasing their quality of life. This quality aspect directly impacts the organization by meeting CMS goals to reduce psychotropic medication use in dementia patients to increase quality of life.

3-EBP is a problem-solving approach which incorporates the careful use of up to date, quality data in decisions regarding the care of patients (Vaidya et al., 2017). Speaking with my mentor, the financial aspect of the project would be hours spent trying to get nurses and nurse aides educated on the proposed guidelines for the care of dementia patient. Staff will also need training on updated tools that will be implemented at the end of the study. The facility will need to spend more to hire therapies to incorporate therapy in the daily schedule of the residents. Also, they will need additional staffs during sundowning period either paying for extra hours or hiring staffs that can cover that window.

Frequent falls with injuries tell a lot about the quality of services provided. The quality of a nursing facility depends on the quality of care that the patient receives. To prevent frequent falls and numerous injuries, EBP implemented needs to involve every step to provide the best care needed for the resident.

Clinically, staff acceptance of the project needs to be taken into consideration. Patient injury is something that a conscious nurse will not want it to happen on her shift. Proper education and providing staffs with proven research data will help them staff involve in the process. As lifelong learners, staff nurses continually encounter new knowledge of relevance to their patients. The conscientious nurse remains alert to clinical problems and encourages investigation into ways to improve patient outcomes (Di Lenoardi, 2014).

All the aspects brought together will make a good impact on the project. With the research and data given to the nurses, implementation, and then follow up of results will show this is a great solution to help alleviate the many falls and injuries. If this facility shows that the guidelines are helping there, then they can teach other colleagues at the corporate level that this helps and also will cut costs by preventing readmissions.

References

Di Lenoardi, B. C. (2014). Bringing evidence-based practice to life. Retrieved from https://lms.rn.com/getpdf.php/2145.pdf

Vaidya, N., Thota, A. B., Proia, K. K., Jamieson, S., Mercer, S. L., Elder, R. W., … & Zaza, S. (2017). Practice-Based Evidence in Community Guide Systematic Reviews. American journal of public health, 107(3), 413-420.

 

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"

Imagine you are the office manager at a small doctor’s office. As the office manager, you are in charge of educating all new employees.

Write a 700- to 1,050-word reference guide describing electronic data interchange (EDI).

Your reference guide should:

• Define EDI.
• Explain how using EDI facilitates electronic transactions.
• Explain how HIPAA has changed how health care information is transmitted in EDI.
• Describe the relationship between Electronic Health Records, reimbursement, HIPAA, and EDI transactions.

Cite a minimum of two outside sources according to APA guidelines. For additional information on how to properly cite your sources, access the Reference and Citation Generator in the Center for Writing Excellence.

Format your assignment according to APA guidelines.

 

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"

There are many sources of information available on the web and in journals relating to the nursing discipline. Therefore, it is of pivotal importance to understand the basic tenets of critical appraisal of research for its use in interprofessional healthcare practices. The aim of evidence-based practice (EBP) is to employ a three-pronged approach, blending the best available research evidence, patient values and preferences, and clinical expertise. In this task, you will critique two primary research evidence sources. You will select one quantitative and one qualitative peer-reviewed journal article on a healthcare topic of interest.

REQUIREMENTS

Note: Research evidence must not be more than five years old.

Note: Upload a copy of the full text of the articles with your submission.

Note: You may use the same topic and research articles on both Task 1: Analyzing Research Articles and Task 2: Evidence-Based Practice Change.

A.  Evaluate a primary, quantitative research, peer-reviewed journal article (suggested length of 3–5 pages) that has healthcare implications by doing the following:

Note: You may select an article focusing on a healthcare topic of your choice or an article focusing on one of the following topics: falls and fall prevention, pain management in children, opioid abuse, hepatitis C, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, or hand hygiene and infections in hospitals. 

1.  Describe how the researcher addresses the following four areas in the selected journal article:

· background or introduction (e.g., the purpose of the study)

· review of the literature (e.g., research used to support the study)

· data analysis (e.g., how the researcher analyzed the data)

· methodology (e.g., research type and sampling methods)

2.  Evaluate whether the evidence presented in each of the four areas of the journal article from part A1 supports the outcome of the study and implications for future research.

3.  Explain how the protection of human subjects and cultural considerations were addressed by the researcher, using specific information from the journal article from part A.

4.  Describe one strength and one limitation of the study.

5.  Describe how the evidence from the article in part A informs current nursing practices.

B.  Evaluate a primary, qualitative research, peer-reviewed journal article (suggested length of 3–5 pages) that has healthcare implications by doing the following:

Note: You may select an article focusing on a healthcare topic of your choice or an article focusing on one of the following topics: falls and fall prevention, pain management in children, opioid abuse, hepatitis C, catheter associated urinary tract infections, or hand hygiene and infections in hospitals. You may use the same topic that was used in part A.

1.  Describe how the researcher addresses the following four areas in the selected journal article:

·  background or introduction (e.g., the purpose of the study)

·  review of the literature (e.g., research used to support the study)

·  data analysis (e.g., how the researcher analyzed the data)

·  methodology (e.g., research type and sampling methods)

2.  Evaluate whether the evidence presented in each of the four areas of the journal article from part B1 supports the outcome of the study and implications for future research.

3.  Explain how the protection of human subjects and cultural considerations were addressed by the researcher, using specific information from the journal article from part B.

4.  Identify one strength and one limitation of the study.

5.  Describe how the evidence from the article in part B informs current nursing practices.

C.  Acknowledge sources, using APA-formatted in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. 

D.  Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.

 

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"

            Minitab Express is a very helpful descriptive statistics tool that can be used in research to calculate and provide outcomes pertaining to the research data gathered.  According to Divisi, Leonardo, Zaccagna, & Crisci (2017), statistical concepts such as the mean, median, and mode along with frequency distributions can be graphed and further explained.  The mean, median, and mode are known as the measures of central tendency. The mean is the average, the median is the numerical data in the exact middle, the mode is a value that occurs most frequently, and the range is the distance between the highest and lowest value (“Measures of Central Tendency,” n.d.).  When a research study is supported by numerical evidence, it proves validity and receives recognition by the community (Divisi et al., 2017). 

            Using Minitab Express was an interesting experience.  I was very thankful to know that there is a program that can assist with the statistical analysis of data.  I honestly knew nothing about this until I entered week 9 of this class.  It is fascinating to know that once the data is entered, graphs can be made, measures of central tendencies found, and an explanation given.  According to Connor & Johnson (2017), descriptive statistics summarize, analyze, and describe data in ways that make the information easier to understand. 

            When evaluating the information given in the discussion, with different ages and levels of mathematical anxiety, I found that the mean age was 36.2 and the median was 33.5 with a standard deviation was 11.232.  The mean number of individuals that felt uneasy was 3.7 with a standard deviation of 1.3018 and the median 4.0. These statistical analyses were completed for each level of mathematical anxiety. According to Niles (n.d.), the closer the standard deviation is to the mean, the more clustered the data is surrounding the mean.  When examining the anxiety category of feeling afraid, the mean was 3.55 and the standard deviation 1.1459.  The standard deviation in the category of afraid was the lowest meaning that the data in this category was clustered closest to its mean. When evaluating the mean of each category, the category with the highest mean was uneasy and the lowest mean score was found in the category of feeling worried.  

Discussion Question Part 2

I plan on learning more about descriptive statistical analysis and utilizing the Minitab Express program through practice.  It is important to understand the mean, median, and mode along with frequency distribution and other statistical concepts (Divisi et al., 2017).  I believe that Minitab Express and other statistical analysis programs will allow the researcher to further their knowledge on the data collected by assisting in providing graphs and statistical analyses. Testing the Minitab Express program furthered my knowledge of understanding data. It was informative to have hands on experience and the ability to view the results with explanations. If becoming proficient in descriptive statistical analysis becomes part of my everyday routine, I would take a class to better understand the functions of the different programs.  

Discussion #2

Excel descriptive statistics is an excellent tool for organizing data analysis research. Excel can provide a more efficient way to demonstrate the data analysis skills component of the research process (DiMaria-Ghalili & Ostrow, 2009).  In order to organize the information, there are columns and rows present on the spread sheet. The excel program can perform several statistical functions including charts, graphs, and equations to help determine data in research studies.

In the beginning I thought the descriptive statistics was too complicated. Once I got the techniques  my experience running descriptive statistics was smooth. This is easy to analyses the measure reflects math anxiety and the study variables. The data shows that mean of age was 36.2 with the use of descriptive statistics.  I could plug the given information and able to make two simple histograms of two different variables such as histogram of  cringe and histogram of uneasy.

I would like to learn more about excel and more specialized statistical software packages include SPSSs and SASas. It is important to  learn more informatics skills in statistics. The information I learned about excel descriptive statistics will be very useful in future analysis of research data. There are variety of methods, such as correlations, regressions, two sample analysis and probability distributions, are available in this soft ware to analysis the data. This is very relevant in future research data analysis. Choosing appropriate statistical tests and performing basic statistical analysis and interpretations output correctly are all possible with Excel (DiMaria-Ghalili & Ostrow, 2009).

 

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"