Scientific Basis Exam 2

Peer review

Ensure quality, validity, and original research

Reviews are anonymous to reduce bias

Adds credibility, but critical appraisal is still necessary for trustworthiness

introduction, method, results, discussion,

IMRAD format

introduction

the start of the article after the abstract

the background and the problem statement that says why the study was conducted, knowledge gap as well

what is in the introduction

problem statement

A part of a design brief that clearly and concisely identifies a client's or target consumer's problem, need, or want.

knowledge gap

what is known and what the study seeks to find (AKA: what is not known yet)

methods

This section describes how a study is conducted

quantitative studies (method section)

the methods section contains the research design, sampling plan, methods for measuring variables and collecting data, the study procedures, participant protection, and analytic methods and procedures

qualitative studies

hee methods section discusses many of the same issues as quantitative researchers do but with different emphases. More information is provided about the research setting in a more organically focused fashion, in the context of the study.

sampling plan

how were participants selected

data collection

tools used to gather data

data analysis

statistical techniques used

discussion

This section should be tied back to the introduction. The study findings should be discussed and meaning given to the raw data results. The weaknesses/limitations and bias should be reported. Any limitations and bias should be discussed in this section as well. If there is clinical significance, this will usually be discussed.

FALSE

true or false: IN qualitative titles, they key variable will be included?

a problem statement containing what is known and not known

the introduction usually includes:

Limitations

What were the weaknesses of the study

Implications for practice

How can the findings be applied

title and abstract

other parts to a research article

title

Should reflect key components like variables, population, or phenomena

abstract

Provides a brief overview: introduction, methods, results, and conclusions

Use the abstract to screen articles but read the full article for critical appraisal.

Critical appraising evidence

what is an essential step to EBP

critical appraisal

The process of systematically evaluating research for its reliability, importance, and significance is _____

Filters out poor-quality research

Helps identify strengths/weaknesses in studies

Ensure clinical decisions are based on reliable evidence

importance of critical appraisal

Did they rely mainly on research reports, primary sources

3.) Did it critically appraise key studies

4.) Was the review well organized

5.) Did the review use appropriate language, subjective vs objective

6.) Did review support study

7.) Did it draw an appropriate conclusions about practice implications

The beginning guidelines for critical appraisal include asking

bias

A particular preference or point of view that is personal, rather than scientific.

leading questions

These are easy to spot, as it is clear there is a "correct" answer that the question is leading you toward. This will always result in false information as there was never an option for an honest response. "What problems did you have with the product?"

vague/ambiguous questions

On the surface, these can look honest and harmless, but their vague nature can confuse the participant into a poor or inaccurate response.

Example: "How did this hospital experience compare with other hospital experiences?"

double barreled questions

These types of questions ask the participant to provide an opinion on two topics but only provides an opportunity for one response.

Example: "How satisfied are you with your hospital stay and discharge instructions?"

If they are satisfied with the hospital stay but not the discharge instructions, how do they answer this?

Alternative: Split the question into two questions.

absolute questions

These questions can bias the participants' choices by forcing them into an absolutely categorical response when they might not have one. These use words such as "never", "always", "will", etc.

Example: "Do you always have eggs for breakfast?"

The problem with the above example is that the answer will be no. The chances of someone having eggs for breakfast every single day is very slim. Obviously, this skews the data because there are no alterative choices.

Alternative: Give options! "Do you eat of the following for breakfast? Select as many as applicable. Add any foods."

acquiescence bias questions

These questions are usually a binary yes/no or agree/disagree choice. Guess what? People are often more likely to respond positively when only two options are presented.

Example: "Is our level of customer service satisfactory?" Yes/No"

We will learn nothing of value form these types of questions.

Alternative: Either offer multiple options or offer an open form text box, such as: "Please describe your experience with customer service."

Anonymity makes it more likely for participants to reveal controversial attitudes.

What is a reason for why participant anonymity is seen as a benefit of using surveys?

Motivated respondent bias

Respondents with an agenda to influence the results of a survey or invalidate the study cause the data to suffer from:

Lack of participants' candor

Faulty methods of data collection

Researcher's preconceptions

Participants' awareness of being in a special study

Faulty study design

Survey question design

factors creating bias include

Randomization

is the process of assigning participants to treatment and control groups, assuming that each participant has an equal change of being assigned to any group

research control

methods to minimize bias

blinding

prevent biases stemming from people's awareness. conceals information from participants or researchers to reduce bias

1.) Read the ABSTRACT for a quick overview

2. Asses the introduction for relevance and thoroughness

3. Review the methods for study design and data collection

4. analyze the results for clarity and significance

5. Chech the discussion for interpretation and limitations

Steps of appraising an article

qualitative research

subjective, seeks a human's experience as a narrative

quantitative research

objective, seeks to statistically make inferences about a sample to generalize to the larger population

not experimental, seeks to understand lived experiences in humans to meaning. Subjective in nature

qualitative research is ___

is completely subjective, utilizes an INDUCTIVE approach, does not ultize hypothesis, generates a theory from data, thematic nature

how does qualitative research differ from quantitative

grounded, phenomenology, ethnography

the types of qualitive research

ethnography

this is concerned with learning about patterns and lifeways of cultural groups. Often these researchers go to the culture itself (fieldwork) to interview the participants in their natural settings.

Example:Sandvoll and colleagues (2015) used ethnographic methods to explore how nursing home staff members managed unpleasant resident behaviors in two public nursing homes in Norway.

Phenomenology

This is concerned with the lived experiences of humans

grounded theory

This type of qualitative research seeks to understand and describe social psychological processes.

example

Keogh and colleagues (2015) used grounded theory methods to understand how mental health service users transitioned home from a hospital stay. The researchers found that the core variable was the patients' management of preconceived expectations.

FALSE

Qualitative research utilizes a deductive approach. True or False?

GROUNDED THEORY

This type of qualitative research seeks to understand and describe social psychological processes.

True

The researcher is involved with the participants during qualitative data collection. True or False?

inductive reasoning aims at developing a theory and moves from specific observations to broad generalizations deductive reasoning aims at testing an existing theory and moves from broa generalizations to specific observations

The main difference between inductive and deductive reasoning

qualitative research, quantitative research.

Think of inductive (theory producing) as to ______________ and deductive (theory testing) as to ________________

experimental and nonexperimental

two types of quantitative research

Experimental:

the researcher introduces an intervention or treatment.

Non-Experimental:

the researcher does not introduce an intervention or treatment, but instead acts as a bystander. Meaning, they collect data without introducing a treatment

It is completely objective.

It utilizes a deductive (versus inductive) approach.

It utilizes a hypothesis(es).

It tests a theory.

Quantitative research differs from qualitative research in that

Generalize results to the population studied.

In quantitative research, the goal is to utilize the statistical data to:

TRUE

Experimental research utilizes an intervention or treatment. True or False?

the word PROVE

what is a bad word in this class

flaws

All research has ______

This is why duplication research is important as it increases the certainty

RIGOR

Not all research is of the same quality or ______

Variable

are something that varies/changes by manipulation or another cause, Concepts being measured are

Independent variable

presumed cause, I in PICO, what is causing the change

Dependent variable

Outcome research is trying to understand (O in PICO)

direction of influence

Variables don't always measure cause and effect- they can also measure the

independent variable: Healthy Lifestyle education with a focus on physical activity; Dependent variable: Physical activity rate before and after education intervention, Heart rate before and after education intervention, Blood pressures before and after education intervention.

A nurse wants to know if extra education about healthy lifestyles with a focus on increasing physical activity with adolescents will increase their physical activity levels and impact their heart rates and blood pressures over a 6-month time.

Data is collected before intervention and after intervention at multiple intervals.

A control group and intervention group is used. Randomized assignment to groups is used. (True Experimental design with intervention group, control group, and randomization.) - what is the independent and independent variables

The ——— can be manipulated.

dependent variable

In the following clinical question, which is the independent variable? "Is the functional dependence level of renal transplant recipients related to their rate of recovery?"

functional dependence level

Wound healing

In the following clinical question, which is the dependent variable? "In postoperative patients, what is the effect of ambulation on day 1 compared to day 2 on wound healing?"

Experimental Research

the researcher is seeking to draw a conclusion between an independent variable and a dependent variable. This design attempts to establish cause-effect relationships among the variables.

Randomized Controlled Trial (or RCT)

A true experiment is called a, It's the gold standard of scientific research

intervention, control, randomization

three features of an RCT

intervention

The experiment does something to the participants by the option of manipulating the independent variable.

control

Some participants in the study receive either the standard care, or no intervention at all. This is also called the counterfactual - meaning, it shows what would happen if no intervention was introduced.

randomization

happens when the researcher makes sure that it is completely random who receives the intervention and who receives the control. The purpose is to make the groups equal regarding all other factors except receipt of the intervention.

prestest-postest design

One very common method for RCT's is called a, which is when the researcher measures the outcome before and after the intervention. For example, if the researcher had an IV (intervention/treatment) of a pain medication, the DV (pain) would be measured before the intervention is given and after it is given. The control group may just receive a placebo. This design permits the researcher to see if the change in pain was caused by the pain medication because only some people received it

crossover design

This type of design involves exposing participants to more than one treatment. For example, subject 1 first receives treatment A, then treatment B, then treatment C. Subject 2 might first receive treatment B, then treatment A, and then treatment C. In this type of study, the three conditions for an experiment are met:

Quasi-Experimental Research

involve an experiment just like true experimental research. However, they lack randomization and some even lack a control group. Therefore, there is implementation and testing of an intervention, but there is an absence of randomization.

Non-Experimental Research

Sometimes, cause-problem research questions cannot be answered with an experimental or quasi-experimental design because the IV cannot be manipulated. For example, if we want to measure what impact prerequisite grades have on student success in nursing programs, we obviously cannot manipulate the prerequisite grades. In another example, if we wanted to investigate how low birth weight impacts developmental progression in children, we cannot manipulate the birth weight. Often, you will see the word "observational" in lieu of non-experimental researcher. This does not mean the researcher is just standing and watching people, but instead it refers to the method of observing data that has already been established without manipulation.

correlation, cohort, retrospective, case control, description

different types of non experimental research

correlational research

A correlational research design investigates relationships between two variables (or more) without the researcher controlling or manipulating any of them. In the example of prerequisites and nursing program success, that is a correlational design. Consider hypothetically, a researcher is studying a correlation between cancer and marriage. In this study, there are two variables: disease and marriage. Let us say marriage has a negative association with cancer. This means that married people are less likely to develop cancer

cohort design

In a cohort study, the participants do not have the outcome of interest to begin with. They are selected based on the exposure status of the individual. They are then followed over time to evaluate for the occurrence of the outcome of interest. Cohorts may be divided into exposure categories once baseline measurements of a defined population are made.

retrospective design

the outcome of interest has already occurred (or not occurred - e.g., in controls) in each individual by the time s/he is enrolled, and the data are collected either from records or by asking participants to recall exposures. There is no follow-up of participants.

case control design

A study that compares two groups of people: those with the disease or condition under study (cases) and a very similar group of people who do not have the condition

descriptive research

design is a type of research design that aims to obtain information to systematically describe a phenomenon, situation, or population. More specifically, it helps answer the what, when, where, and how questions regarding the research problem, rather than the why.

cross sectional design

All data are collected at a single point in time. Retrospective studies are usually cross-sectional.

longitudinal design

n: Data are collected two or more times over an extended period. Longitudinal designs are better at showing patterns of change and at clarifying whether a cause occurred before an effect (outcome). A challenge in longitudinal studies is attrition or the loss of participants over time. I

true

True or False? An RCT is at the top of the echelon as far as quantitative experimental research.

It lacks randomization.

Quasi-experimental research differs from experimental research in that:

A correlational research design investigates relationships between two variables (or more) without the researcher controlling or manipulating any of them.

Which statement is true?

Descriptive design

Which type of research is described in this statement: "A type of research design that aims to obtain information to systematically describe a phenomenon, situation, or population."

Experimental

Which type of quantitative study is the following? Kendall randomly assigned postsurgical patients to aromatherapy (oil of peppermint) or usual care to assess effects on nausea

Quasi-experimental

Which type of quantitative study is the following? Madden compared levels of agitation in 2 groups of nursing home residents: one group living in a home where they received a daily foot massage for 2 weeks and the other in a home without the massages.

Confounding variables

are a type of extraneous variable that occur which interfere with or influence the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. In research that investigates a potential cause-and-effect relationship, a confounding variable is an unmeasured third variable that influences both the supposed cause and the supposed effect.

account for confounding variables

To ensure the internal validity of research, the researcher must

Extraneous variables

are any variables that the researcher is not investigating that can potentially affect the outcomes of the research study. If left uncontrolled, extraneous variables can lead to inaccurate conclusions about the relationship between IVs and DVs.

Extraneous variables can threaten the internal validity of a study by providing alternative explanations for the results. In an experiment, the researcher manipulates an independent variable to study its effects on a dependent variable.

A variable that affects the outcome being measured as well as, or instead of, the independent variable.

Which of the following best describes a confounding variable?

A dependent variable

A variable that measures the effect that manipulating another variable has is known as:

Causation

means that one thing caused another thing to happen

Correlation

means there is some association between the two thing we are measuring, is a statistical measure that describes the size and direction of a relationship between two or more variables. A correlation does not automatically mean that the change in one variable caused the change in value in the other variable e.g. smoking causes an increase in the risk of developing lung cancer), or it can correlate with another (e.g. smoking is correlated with alcoholism, but it does not cause alcoholism)

nominal

The data can only be categorized- city of birth, gender, ethnicity, car brands

ordinal

The data can be categorized and ranked- top 5 olympic medallists, language ability