Frequently Asked Questions
Chapter 6: Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research

How has nursing research evolved?

At the beginning, nurses investigated educational projects and cost-effective practice and published their findings in the American Journal of Nursing. Nurses began to investigate the effects of nursing care in the 1970s. Federal funding for nursing research began in 1985, culminating in the establishment of the National Institute of Nursing Research in 1993.

What is evidence-based practice?

Evidence-based practice is the integration of the best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values.

What are the research paradigms used in nursing research?

Nurses use both quantitative and qualitative research designs. Quantitative research design involves deductive reasoning, measurement, and statistical methods. Qualitative research design involves the systematic collection and consideration of data relating to humans’ interactions in and with the world.

What is the difference between descriptive studies and exploratory studies?

Descriptive studies describe a phenomenon of interest. For example, a descriptive study may determine the average depression score of a group of people. Exploratory studies describe the phenomenon and try to identify contributing factors. For example, an exploratory study might try to find the relationship between the depression score and the age of the group of people.

What is the purpose of the survey method of quantitative research?

The survey method entails asking individuals for responses to certain questions to obtain information from a representative sample. For example, the researcher may be surveying sample individual’s opinions about a certain matter.

What is historical research?

Historical research involves systematically collecting and critically evaluating data in the context of past events. Ideally, the researcher uses original material, such as letters or minutes of a meeting, to find data.

What is the difference between cross-section studies and longitudinal studies?

Cross-section studies involve data collected at one point in time. In longitudinal studies, the researcher collects data on one particular research sample over a prolonged period of time.

What is the difference between retrospective studies and prospective studies?

Researchers conducting retrospective studies use existing data, such as medical records. Researchers conducting prospective studies collect data on subjects over a prolonged period of time, longitudinally.

What are the differences between correlational design, quasi-experimental design, and experimental design?

Correlational design simply investigates the relationship of one variable to another. Quasi-experimental and experimental studies test interventions, or independent variables (presumed causes) to see which most influences a dependent variable (or presumed effect). For example, a nurse might test whether one nursing intervention works better than another. The researcher is able to control a study in experimental design so that subjects can be randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. Researchers use quasi-experimental design when they are not able to randomize or control the subjects in a study.

What are the common forms of qualitative designs used in nursing research?

Common qualitative research designs are the biographical method, the case study method, ethnography, ethnomethodology, grounded theory, and phenomenology.

What is the purpose of conducting a literature review for a research proposal?

The purpose of a literature review is to critically examine studies that demonstrate the need for a particular investigation to be done.

What is the purpose of an institutional Review Board?

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) assure that subjects for a study, or their guardians, have given informed consent for participation.