Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Key Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering nursing research methodologies, evidence hierarchies, EBP processes, variables, statistics, and qualitative research designs directly from lecture notes.

Research

Investigation used to generate new knowledge.

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

Best available evidence + clinical expertise + patient preferences and values.

Quality Improvement (QI)

Improves healthcare processes, patient safety, and outcomes within a specific setting.

Research vs. EBP vs. QI

Research = generate knowledge; EBP = use evidence in practice; QI = improve a process/outcome.

QI Process

Plan → Do → Study → Act (PDSA).

Clinical Inquiry

Asking whether there is a better or more effective way to provide care.

Major EBP Barriers

Lack of knowledge/education/support, resistance to change, tradition, slow implementation, and patient demands.

How to Reduce EBP Barriers

Support, education, policies, and public awareness.

Florence Nightingale

Pioneer of nursing research who used data and statistics to improve patient care.

Background Question

Broad starting question used to gain information.

Foreground Question

Focused question used to find the best evidence for a specific clinical problem.

PICOT

Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time.

P in PICOT

Population: Who is being studied?

I in PICOT

Intervention: What treatment/action is being studied?

C in PICOT

Comparison: What is the intervention compared with?

O in PICOT

Outcome: What measurable result is being examined?

T in PICOT

Time: How long will the study/intervention occur?

Good PICOT Question

Contains a specific population, intervention, comparison, measurable outcome, and timeframe.

PICOT Warning

Avoid directional language such as assuming an intervention will “improve” the outcome.

AND (in Database Searching)

Narrows the search; both terms must be present.

OR (in Database Searching)

Broadens the search; either term/synonym can appear.

Database Search Strategy

Start broad, then narrow; prioritize quality over quantity.

Article Fit

Check whether the article matches the PICOT population, intervention, outcome, and relevance.

Quantitative Research

Uses numerical/measurable data and statistical analysis.

Qualitative Research

Explores experiences, meanings, perspectives, and themes using nonnumerical data.

Independent Variable

The intervention or variable being changed/manipulated.

Dependent Variable

The outcome being measured.

Confounding Variable

An outside variable that can affect the results.

Population

The entire group the researcher is interested in studying.

Sample

A subset of the population that participates in the study.

Non-experimental Research

Research with no intervention/manipulation.

Descriptive Research

Describes characteristics, experiences, or patterns.

Correlational Research

Examines relationships/associations between variables.

Correlation vs. Causation

Correlation does not prove that one variable caused another.

Quasi-experimental Study

Has an intervention but does not use random assignment.

True Experimental Study

Uses an intervention and random assignment; example: RCT.

RCT

Randomized Controlled Trial.

Systematic Review

Synthesizes evidence from multiple studies.

Meta-analysis

Statistically combines results from multiple studies.

Evidence Hierarchy

Systematic review/meta-analysis → RCT → quasi-experimental → cohort/case-control → descriptive/qualitative.

Highest Level of Evidence

Systematic review/meta-analysis of relevant RCTs in your professor's hierarchy.

Level II Evidence

At least one well-designed RCT.

Level III Evidence

Controlled trial without randomization.

Level IV Evidence

Cohort or case-control study.

Level V Evidence

Systematic review of descriptive/qualitative studies.

Level VI Evidence

Single descriptive or qualitative study.

Level VII Evidence

Expert opinion/reports of expert committees.

Mean

Average.

Median

Middle value when data are placed in order.

Mode

Most frequently occurring value.

Range

Highest value minus lowest value.

Standard Deviation

Measures how spread out values are around the mean.

P-value

Helps determine whether an observed result is statistically significant.

Statistical Significance vs. Clinical Significance

Statistical = unlikely due to chance; clinical = meaningful for actual patient care.

Random Error

Error that occurs by chance.

False Positive

Indicates an effect/condition exists when it actually does not.

False Negative

Fails to identify an effect/condition that actually exists.

Phenomenology

Explores lived experiences.

Ethnography

Studies cultures, communities, and behaviors.

Case Study

Investigates a specific person, group, organization, or event.

Grounded Theory

Develops a theory from patterns and themes in data.

Narrative Research

Examines stories and personal experiences.

Open-ended Questions

Allow participants to give detailed experiences and perspectives.

Qualitative Data

Words, interviews, observations, experiences, and themes.

Quantitative Data

Numbers, measurements, variables, and statistics.

Literature Review

Evaluates and synthesizes existing evidence about a problem.

Purpose of Literature Review

Identify what is known, disagreements, gaps in evidence, and what should be studied next.

Theoretical Framework

Based on an established theory.

Conceptual Framework

Shows how important concepts relate to one another.

Why Use a Framework?

Helps explain why an intervention is expected to influence an outcome.