Qualitative Research in Nursing Practice

Which method of research provides the best evidence for nursing practice? Is there a place for both quantitative and qualitative research in evidence-based practice? How do these research methods improve patient outcomes?

Return to and reflect on your thoughts and postings from Week 1’s Discussion on the respective characteristics, strengths, and limitations of quantitative and qualitative research. Consider the uses of each type of research in the health care field. Also reflect on the amount of quantitative versus qualitative research that exists in the health care field in particular. There is an impression among some researchers that qualitative research is inferior to, easier than, or not as rigorous as quantitative research.

In this Discussion, you consider the idea of rigor, or thoroughness and scope of study, with regard to qualitative research. You examine the methods of qualitative research outlined and recommended in this week’s Learning Resources and how they aim to create standards of rigor by which to assess qualitative studies. You also have the opportunity to assess an article of your choice in terms of rigor and recommended methods of qualitative data collection.

To prepare:

• Consider      your readings about and understanding of quantitative and qualitative      research. If you had to choose, which type of research (quantitative or      qualitative) do you think is more rigorous and why? Do you think it is      useful to make such generalizations and comparisons?
• Locate      an article describing a qualitative research study related to a health      care topic (see attached PDF).
• Formulate      a research question to address the problem and that would lead you to      employ correlational statistics.
• With      information from the Learning Resources in mind, critically analyze your      selected study. Ask yourself: How rigorous was the study in terms of the      researchers’ efforts, the data collected, and the conclusions drawn? What      might the researchers have done to improve the rigor?

By tomorrow Tuesday October 31, 2017 by 8 pm, write a minimum of 550 words essay in APA format with at least 3 references. Include the level one headings as numbered below:

Post a cohesive response that addresses the following:

1) Do you think there is one type of research (quantitative or qualitative) that is inherently more rigorous than the other? If so, identify which one and why. If not, discuss your reasoning.

2) Post a brief summary of your research article analysis and the correct APA citation for the article (See attached PDF).

3) Outline how the study’s qualitative data collection and analysis did, or did not, promote rigor, provide scientific or systematic scaffolding, and/or generate a more thorough analysis of the research topic.

Required Media

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Research methods for evidence-based practice: Qualitative research. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 9 minutes.

In this week’s video, the presenter discusses the purpose of qualitative research and explains how it differs from, yet complements, quantitative research.

Required Readings

Maidment, I. D., Aston, L., Moutela, T., Fox, C. G., & Hilton, A. (2017). A qualitative study exploring medication management in people with dementia living in the community and the potential role of the community pharmacist. Health Expectations, 20(5), 929-942. doi:10.1111/hex.12534 (See Attached PDF Article Citation)

Gray, J.R., Grove, S.K., & Sutherland, S. (2017). Burns and Grove’s the practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.

Chapter 12, “Qualitative Research Methods” (pp. 251-274)

This section of Chapter 12 details key qualitative research data collection and analysis methods.

Bradley, E. H., Curry, L. A., & Devers, K. J. (2007). Qualitative data analysis for health services research: Developing taxonomy, themes, and theory. Health Services Research, 42(4), 1758–1772. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2006.00684.x

This article outlines practical approaches to qualitative data with a specific emphasis on methods useful for generating taxonomy, themes, and theory with regard to the health care field.

Smith, J., & Firth, J. (2011). Qualitative data analysis: The framework approach. Nurse Researcher, 18(2), 52–62.

This article outlines the framework approach to qualitative data, in which researchers follow detailed objectives and goals to collect and manage data. This approach is in direct contrast to inductive approaches, including grounded theory, which allows for a more fluid qualitative research process governed by the nature of the data.

Optional Resources

Lockwood, C. (2008). Cochrane qualitative research methods group. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4). http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=chh&AN=CE000142&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Nicholls, D. (2009). Qualitative research: Part three—Methods. International Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation, 16(12), 638–647.

Taylor-Powell, E., & Renner, M. (2003). Analyzing qualitative data. University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension. Retrieved from http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/g3658-12.pdf

Vander Putten, J., & Nolen, A. (2010). Comparing results from constant comparative and computer software methods: A reflection about qualitative data analysis. Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research, 5(2), 99–112.

Walden University. (n.d.). Collecting qualitative data. Retrieved August 1, 2011, from http://streaming.waldenu.edu/hdp/researchtutorials/educ8106_player/educ8106_collecting_qualitative_data.html

Walden University. (n.d.). Analyzing and interpreting qualitative data. Retrieved August 1, 2011, from http://streaming.waldenu.edu/hdp/researchtutorials/educ8106_player/educ8106_analyzing_and_interpreting_qualitative_data.html

Exercise can reduce the risk of various health issues in middle age adults; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2015), benefits of physical activity include reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, and cancers as well as help improving mental health, mood, and ability to perform activities of daily living. According to an article, “Middle-Aged Adults Behind on Prevention,” by the American Society on Aging (ASA, 2013) found that 25,000 to 40,000 deaths per year among Americans younger than age 65 could be prevented if these individuals would quit smoking, lose weight, exercise routinely, eat healthily, and use of recommended clinical preventive services. This article further found that 44% of middle age adults are reported having high blood pressure and 33% were obese, which maintaining a healthy lifestyle and physical activity are critical keys to healthy aging (ASA, 2013).  

Next, according to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2017), physical activity such as walking, dancing, gardening, hiking, swimming, walking, cycling, household chores, or game sports, are benefits in improving cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness and bone health in adults aged 18-64; however, an adjustment is needed for each individual based on their capacity and specific health risks or limitations.  To incorporate exercise and physical health into my clients, I would use the nursing process to assess the client’s understanding about his or her current health, current or chronic illness, and knowledge about health promotion, in order to create and effective individual care plan. Lastly, the approach to use to gain cooperation from my clients would be, for examples, using teach back method to determine the client’s understanding and/or encourage the clients to keep journal of their physical activities and to bring it in at the next follow-up appointment.

References

The American Society on Aging (ASA). October 17, 2013. Middle-aged adults behind on prevention. Retrieved October 24, 2017 from http://www.asaging.org/blog/middle-aged-adults-behind-prevention