Evidence Based Research Discussions
Please respond to each of the 2 discussions below. Each response should be 1/2 page in length with 1 source each. Response 1 to Kayla L. 1. What two patterns in the study can you identify? (Consider the sample and its size, study methods and whether it is appropriate to test the data, similarities/differences in the findings/concepts/themes). All of these studies within this qualitative research focused on fall prevention within the elderly population and the contributing factors. The participants were healthcare professionals who provided care for the elderly population. The number of participants in each study ranged from 16-19. The methods within these studies consisted of interviewing each of the participants to analyze different factors that could be contributing to increased fall risks within the elderly population. 2. What are two strengths or limitations of the data? One of the strengths noted within the research was the use of the interviews of the healthcare professionals who are directly involved in patient care of the elderly population. The use of thematic analysis after collecting these interviews allowed the researchers to gather substantial evidence to support their findings. One limitation within the data was limiting the data to only the elderly population with cognitive impairments. It is important to take into consideration the different co-morbidities that one may have and the side effects of medication that they may be taking. This allows the researcher to gain a better understanding of what could be contributing to the increased fall risk within the elderly population. 3. What is one practice recommendation that you could make based on your analysis of the studies? One practice recommendation that could be beneficial for recording and reducing the number of patient falls is developing a program that allows you to write an incident report when a patient fall occurs and then link the programs reports to the electronic health record. When the chart is opened on the patient, then it can alert staff of the patients history of falls. This will allow continuity of care and keep healthcare professionals current with the patients plan of care. The incident report will have details on how the fall occurred and will alert the staff of the patient being at a higher risk for falls. This will reduce the reoccurrence of the patient having a fall in the future than can result in life-threatening injuries. 4. Discuss one pro and one con of using qualitative versus quantitative research approaches to inform nursing knowledge. Support your response by citing and referencing either the course lesson or assigned textbook. Qualitative versus quantitative research approaches allow one to gain different perspectives, even if the same audience is being utilized. Using a mixed-method study allows one to gain information that may have been lacking when using only one approach. On the other hand, when these studies are utilized alone there are many limitations. For instance, when qualitative research is used alone it utilizes in-depth interactions with a small number of participants to gain a deeper understanding of a particular phenomenon(Galen College of Nursing, 2020). Often, the reliability of the results are questioned because of the small number of participants. Furthermore, the use of the quantitative approach uses a larger sample size and participants are not able to explain their choices and the researchers are not able to explain the meaning of their questions within the surveys or questionnaires. These two approaches are beneficial when used together. Reference Galen College of Nursing. (2020, January). Overview of Qualitative Research. Retrieved from https://files.galencollege.edu/media/BSN/NUR400v2/unit_3/unit_3_1/NUR400_unit_3_1.pdf Response 2 to Samantha C.. 1. What two patterns in the study can you identify? (Consider the sample and its size, study methods and whether it is appropriate to test the data, similarities/differences in the findings/concepts/themes). The studies were based on healthcare members. They addressed barriers that cause falls, two of which were based on impaired memory. 2. What are two strengths or limitations of the data? One limitation of the data is the small sample size. Another limitation is the studies are based on interviews and questionnaires. 3. What is one practice recommendation that you could make based on your analysis of the studies? One practice recommendation I would make is that falls should be documented and tracked. Tracking will show when the falls are happening, who is working during the time of the fall, and possibly the cause of the fall. 4. Discuss one pro and one con of using qualitative versus quantitative research approaches to inform nursing knowledge. One con is that qualitative research is not based on factual data or statistics (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2019, p. 645) One pro is that it can determine how people feel about or perceive a situation. (Melnyk& Fineout-Overholt,2019, p. 645) References Melnyk, B.M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2019). Generating evidence through quantitative and qualitative research. Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare: A guide to best practice. (4th). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wolters Kluwer Health.
