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Notes on EBP Process and Research Concepts

Steps of the Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Process

  • Ask a clinically meaningful question
  • Collect the evidence
  • Critically appraise the evidence
  • Synthesize the evidence
  • Integrate evidence with clinical expertise, patient value and preferences, and the clinical setting
  • Make a decision and implement
  • Evaluate outcomes

Research Overview (Page 3)

  • Components of a Research Overview:
    • Problem Statement
    • Problem identification
    • Background
    • Scope
    • Consequences of the problem / Significance
    • Knowledge gap
  • The purpose of the study is to: …
    • verbs that may be used to express purpose include: investigate, test, evaluate, compare, examine, explore, describe, understand, discover

Research Question (Page 4)

  • Common research question formats:
    • In (population), what is the relationship between (IV) and (DV)?
    • In (population), what is the effect of (IV) on (DV)?
    • What is the frequency of (V) among (population)?
    • What is the lived experience of… ?

Hypotheses and Variables (Page 5)

  • Hypotheses include: population, variables, relationship
  • Variables to consider:
    • Independent vs Dependent variables
    • Conceptual vs Operational definitions of variables
  • Relationship type in hypotheses:
    • Directional vs Nondirectional research hypotheses
  • Corresponding Null hypothesis is used for hypothesis testing

Independent vs Dependent Variables (Page 6)

  • Example:
    • There will be a difference in job satisfaction between nurses who work only day shift, nurses who work only night shift, and nurses who work rotating shifts.
  • Definitions in the example:
    • IV = ext{Type of shift worked} ext{ (day, night, rotating)}
    • DV = ext{Job satisfaction}

Conceptual vs Operational Definitions (Page 7)

  • Using the same example on job satisfaction:
    • Conceptual definition of the outcome:
    • nurses’ contentedness with their job
    • Operational definition of the outcome:
    • score on the Nurses Satisfaction Survey Tool (NSST)
  • Rationale:
    • Conceptual defines what you mean in theory; operational specifies how you measure it in practice

Directional vs Nondirectional Research Hypotheses (Page 8)

  • Directional example (predicts a specific order):
    • There will be a difference in job satisfaction between nurses who work only day shift, only night shift, and rotating shifts. Specifically, nurses who work rotating shifts will report higher job satisfaction compared to nurses who work only day shift and nurses who work only night shift.
  • Non-directional stance would state only that a difference exists, without specifying which group will have higher satisfaction

Hypotheses Forms and Null (Page 9)

  • Research hypothesis (Directional):
    • Example wording: "There will be a difference in job satisfaction between nurses who work only day shift, nurses who work only night shift, and nurses who work rotating shifts."
  • Null hypothesis (Non-directional / Null form):
    • Example wording: "There will be NO difference in job satisfaction between nurses who work only day shift, nurses who work only night shift, and nurses who work rotating shifts."
  • Related notes:
    • The null hypothesis is tested statistically to determine whether observed differences could occur by chance
    • Directional hypotheses specify expected direction of the effect, which affects one-tailed vs two-tailed tests

Additional Connections and Concepts

  • Relationship between IV, DV, and study conclusions:
    • The IV is the presumed cause or grouping variable; the DV is the outcome measured
    • Correctly defining levels/categories of the IV is crucial (e.g., day vs night vs rotating)
  • Measurement concepts:
    • Conceptual definition explains what is being studied at a theoretical level
    • Operational definition explains how it is measured or quantified in the study
  • Statistical testing implications:
    • Directional tests increase power to detect an effect in a specified direction but risk missing effects in the opposite direction
    • Nondirectional tests detect any difference but require a larger sample to achieve the same power
  • Real-world relevance:
    • EBP steps guide clinicians from a clinical question to applying evidence in practice with patient values
    • Clear problem statements and well-defined hypotheses improve study design, measurement, and interpretability
  • Ethical and practical implications:
    • Accurate operationalization of variables reduces bias and enhances reproducibility
    • Aligning evidence with patient preferences and clinical context improves applicability
  • Formally rendered equations and variables (LaTeX):
    • Independent variable: IV = ext{Type of shift (day, night, rotating)}
    • Dependent variable: DV = ext{Job satisfaction}
    • Conceptual vs Operational definitions: ext{Conceptual}(Outcome) = ext{nurses’ contentedness with their job}
    • Operational(Outcome) = ext{NSST score}
    • Directional hypothesis example: H1: ext{Job satisfaction}{ ext{rotating}} > ext{Job satisfaction}{ ext{day)}} ext{ and } ext{Job satisfaction}{ ext{rotating}} > ext{Job satisfaction}_{ ext{night}}
    • Null hypothesis example: H_0: ext{There is no difference in job satisfaction between the three shift groups.}