Research Methods for Nursing

NUR2300 Research assignment

Case Study

A second nurse comes to also check his blood pressure within approx 10 mins of the first nurse taking Bill's blood pressure. The nurse records his blood pressure as 157/98. She takes Bill's blood pressure whilst he is sitting up, which was different to the first nurse in which Bill was lying down.

The second nurse makes a comment that all of the nurses working in the practice need to know what the best practice for blood pressure measurement is, and how and where to find this evidence. She recommends that you provide an update on best practice and what it means in relation to blood pressure measurement, recordings, and patient variations.

Assignment tasks

8 Assignment Instructions

Please follow these instructions for your assignment:

FORMATTING:

• Typed responses
• Times New Roman, Size 12 Font
• Double line spacing
• No cover sheet required
• 2,000 words (10% over or under acceptable) - The assignment will not be marked over 2,200 words.
• Header including your name and student number on each page of the assignment
• Type your responses directly into the Assignment 1 Marking Criteria and Template. No need for additional or different headings.

REFERENCING:

• APA (6th Edition)
• Use of in text referencing throughout your assignment
• Full list of references provided on a separate page at the end of your assignment

Part 2: Asking a Clinical Question, Locating and Retrieving Evidence, Summarising and Synthesising Evidence

1. Asking a Clinical Question

Based on the eProblem 1, write one (1) PICO question. The PICO question should consider the following aspects:

• It should be phrased as a question (and end with a question mark)
• It must be related to the eProblem 1
• It must clearly identify aspects of the PICO framework within the question, for example (P), (I), (C), and (O).
• It should focus on asking a clinical question in relation to the measurement of blood pressure

2. Locating and Retrieving Evidence

Based on your PICO question, describe a plan on how you would search for research to help answer or find information in relation to your PICO question. You should use intext referencing to support your answer.

Your description may include the following aspects

• USQ online databases that you would use use
• Peer-reviewed journals that you would search
• Recency of information
• Hierachy of evidence that you would focus on
• Types of studies conducted
• Key search terms relevant to the eproblem that you would use to find information - alternative search terms also outlined to broaden search strategy
• Key search strategies - e.g. Boolean operators
• Inclusion or exclusion criteria

3. Examining the literature

Once a nurse is able to locate relevant evidence in relation to a clinical issue, outline and describe ways in which nurses should then critically examine the literature. This description should also clearly provide a rationale as to why it is important to examine evidence-based information to support clinical decision-making. Support your answer with intext referencing.

4. Summarising Evidence

In relation to your PICO question, you are asked to locate and retrieve 15 sources of published studies (Primary preferred). Your search of the literature should take into account your plan outlined earlier on how you would locate and retrieve the right evidence. You are asked to develop a summary table which should outline the following: The authors of the research, a hierarchy of evidence ranking, the focus of the study, key variables studied (if quantitative), key themes (if qualitative), type of participants, the setting, and the type of methodology used (e.g. qualitative grounded theory). Number each of the published studies in the summary table (i.e. 1, 2, or 3).

Click here to download a summary table which you can use for you assignment - click here

For general help on how to summarise the literature - click here

5. Synthesising Evidence

This task requires you to synthesise the evidence. This means that you are asked to consider the evidence from across all of the 15 articles which you have collected in your literature search. Your synthesis of the evidence should include a summary of the following and must include intext referencing:

• Key findings and conclusions from the evidence
• Best practice recommendations
• Current gaps in the literature
• Strength of the findings

Your references should reflect the studies which you had collected (i.e. discuss more than 1 or 2 studies).

For general help on how to synthesise the literature - click here

Use this example to complete the above tasks:

Click on the following link - CLICK HERE - to review the following article. This article provides the foundation for how you should address elements in Stage 2, Task 1.

For example, see how the author describes the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the literature searches. Follow the same format for developing a synthesis of the key findings and conclusion for your selected articles.

Part 3: Understanding the research process

In this task, you will be demonstrating your understanding of the research processes used in qualitative and quantitative studies. From your 15 sources of published studies, choose (1) qualitative study and one (1) quantitative study. Do not choose a literature review.

To help the marker, you are instructed to provide the DOI so that each article can be retrieved conveniently. If your article does not have a DOI, then please upload a copy of your article into EASE as an attachment.

For each study outline the following: (in your own words)

• A full reference of the study (including author, title of the author/s, journal etc)
• The aim/s of the research
• The research question/s
• Who was involved in the research
• How the research was conducted
• Ethical considerations
• How data was collected and analysed
• What the main findings of the research were
• What the implications of the research might be
• Limitations of the research
• Opportunities for further research

Part 4: Critically analysing the evidence

For this task you will need to access the DiRect reading by Langford, R., & Young, A. (2013). Making a difference with nursing
research (pp. 158-192). Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson.

Again you are asked to select (1) qualitative study and (1) quantitative study - you can choose the same studies as the previous task or two new studies from the list of 15 collected studies.

Using the qualitative framework outlined in the reading above (see Box 8-11 on page 182 for quantitative research) and (see Box 8-12 on page 183 for qualitative research) you are asked to critically analyse each of your studies. For each of your selected studies, you are asked to replicate the table (i.e. create a table in the same type of format using the same questions) and then respond to each of the questions based on your selected study. You will need to answer yes or no for each question, but also to provide a 2- 3 sentence rationale as to why you have responded that way. Your rationale must be supported by other literature using intext referencing. For example, if in your quantitative study you considered that the measurement of variables was reliable, then you would need to state why you thought they were reliable. This may mean examining other literature about the reliability of measures.

Student Name:                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Student Number:

Assignment 1 Template

Part 1:  ePBL Group Discussion (Word count: marked from the discussions) (10 marks)

Word Count for all of Part 1: Included in the group discussion but not included in the overall Assignment 1 word count

The marker willreview your group discussion from the study desk 

Part 2: Asking a Clinical Question, Locating and Retrieving Evidence, Summarising and Synthesising Evidence

(50 marks)

Word Count for all of Part 2: 1,100 words

Asking a Clinical Question                                                                                                                                                 5 marks 

Add your PICO in the space below

Locating and Retrieving Evidence                                                                                                                                     10 marks 

Add your description of your plan to locate and retrieve evidence below

Examining the Literature                                                                                                                                                   5 marks 

Add your description below in relation to how nurses should critically examine the literature and why evidence-based information is important to support clinical decision-making

Summarising the Evidence                                                                                                                                                 10 marks                                                                                                                              

Add your summary table of the 15 published studies below

Synthesising Evidence(approx. 500-700 words)                                                                                                                 20 marks 

Add your synthesis of the evidence below

Part 3: Understanding the research process (10 marks)                                                                                                              

Word Count for all of Part 3: 400 words (200 words for each study)

Add the DOI link for the qualitative study here (or full reference) here

Add the DOI link for the quantitative study here (or full reference) here

Add your outline of the research process used in the qualitative study below                                                                    5 marks

Add your outline of the research process used in the quantitative study below                                                      5 marks

Part 4: Critically Analysing the Evidence    (30 marks)                                                                                                   

Word Count for all of Part 4: 500 words (250 for each critique – this excluded the table questions and headings)

Add your qualitative critique table below                                                                                                                            15 marks

Add your quantitative critique table below                                                                                                                          15 marks

Total word count of Assignment 1 Template: 294 words