Research_EBP_L Davis_Fall 2015 Identifying Research Questions Leslie L Davis, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAANP, FAHA UNC-Greensboro, School of Nursing Topics for Today Identifying research problems Problem versus purpose statements Elements of a good research question Different types of hypotheses 1 2 Brainstorming Finding Problems & Writing Questions Where to begin? 3 4 Developing & Refining Research Problems Selecting a broad topic area (e.g., patient compliance, caregiver stress, pain control) Narrowing the topic asking questions to help focus the inquiry Examples: What is going on with? What factors contribute to.? Pain Post-op pain Relaxation Topic Narrower Focus What is the effect of slow, deep breathing relaxation exercises on reducing postoperative pain?? Research Question 5 6 1
Research_EBP_L Davis_Fall 2015 Traditional Evolution of the Research Question Nursing Research Concepts Abstract ideas that must be narrowed to researchable questions for study Common categories for nursing research: Patient sensitive concepts Staff member sensitive concepts Organizational sensitive concepts Deductive (down) Approach 7 8 Nursing Research Name that Category Nursing Research Name that Category Patient, Nursing, or Organizational concepts: Post-op anxiety Burnout of traveling nurses Medication errors for new graduate nurses Length of hospital stay after bypass surgery Patient satisfaction with nursing care Causes of work-related injuries Quality of life in patients with end-stage cancer Depression symptoms after heart attack Number of hospital acquired infections Patient, Nursing, or Organizational concepts: P Post-op anxiety N Burnout of traveling nurses N or O Medication errors for new graduate nurses O Length of hospital stay after bypass surgery P or O Patient satisfaction with nursing care O Causes of work-related injuries P Quality of life in patients with end-stage cancer P Depression symptoms after heart attack O Number of hospital acquired infections 9 10 Sources of Research Problems Clinical practice observations Educational experiences Patient feedback Theoretical models and frameworks Professional literature Performance improvement studies Research reports and priorities Social issues Problem versus Purpose Problem statement describes an area of concern that needs further study. More than one sentence. Usually a paragraph or two in a research article. Usually ends with a gap statement or identification of the need for the study. Purpose statement describes the goal of the study and how the study will be done. 11 12 2
Research_EBP_L Davis_Fall 2015 Problem versus Purpose : (draw arrows for each) Problem Objective statement indicating the general goal of the study Articulate the area of concern and provide support for the extent of the problem Contain the key variables to be studied, their possible relationships, and the nature of the population of interest of the gap between what is known and unknown Describe the direction of the inquiry Focus the research process on a known nursing practice problem Problem versus Purpose : Problem Objective statement indicating the general goal of the study Articulate the area of concern and provide support for the extent of the problem Contain the key variables to be studied, their possible relationships, and the nature of the population of interest of the gap between what is known and unknown Describe the direction of the inquiry Focus the research process on a known nursing practice problem 13 14 Problem versus Purpose : Problem Objective statement indicating the general goal of the study Articulate the area of concern and provide support for the extent of the problem Contain the key variables to be studied, their possible relationships, and the nature of the population of interest of the gap between what is known and unknown Describe the direction of the inquiry Focus the research process on a known nursing practice problem Problem Should identify the nature, context, and significance of the problem being addressed Should be broad enough to include central concerns Should be narrow enough to serve as a guide to study design 15 16 Purpose Purpose: Look for These Words Quantitative Studies Identify study variables Identify relationships Indicate population Verbs Test Compare Evaluate Qualitative Studies Identify area of focus Identify method (ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology) Identify population Verbs Describe Discover Explore Aim Goal Intent Objective 17 18 3
Research_EBP_L Davis_Fall 2015 Purpose Statement Examples Feasibility of the Study Quantitative The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships among self-esteem, stress, social support, and coping, and to test a model of their effects on unhealthy eating behavior and depressive mood in adolescents. Qualitative The aim of this study was to develop a grounded theory to explain how district nurses meet the emotional needs of dying patients in the community. Appraised prior to developing the study design Evaluate: Requires resources Ethical considerations Specific variables to be studied Availability of the population Potential access to the setting 19 20 Research Questions The Research Question Specifically identifies the key elements to be studied Guides the design and methodology Carefully constructed and refined Clear, simple, specific 21 22 Research Questions: Are sometimes direct rewordings of the purpose statement, written as questions In quantitative studies, question the relationships among variables (e.g. What is the relationship between ) May be more broad in qualitative studies (e.g. What are the experiences of ) Elements of a Good Research Question 23 24 4
Research_EBP_L Davis_Fall 2015 The PICO Approach FINER Criteria Population: Who is the patient or what is the population of interest? Intervention: What is the planned nursing intervention? Comparison: What is the comparison intervention? Outcome: What is the outcome of interest? Used for evaluating a research question Feasible Interesting Novel Ethical Relevant 25 26 Classifications of Questions Descriptive Studies a subject of interest in a defined population or setting Analytic Studies that compare interventions and outcomes Prospective Studies that are planned and carried out in the future under control of the researcher Retrospective Studies that use existing secondary data to answer a research question Based on the research question, what type of study is this? Do patients with diabetes have longer lengths of hospital stay than those without diabetes? What are adolescent mothers attitudes and beliefs about breast feeding? Does pre-operative education reduce pain levels during the first day after surgery? 27 28 Type of study based on question? Descriptive, retrospective study (quant) Do patients with diabetes have longer lengths of hospital stay than those without diabetes? We Need a Hypothesis to Begin Descriptive study (could be quant or qual) What are adolescent mothers attitudes and beliefs about breast feeding? Experimental/prospective study (quant) Does pre-operative education reduce pain levels during the first day after surgery? 29 30 5
Research_EBP_L Davis_Fall 2015 Hypothesis: the Early Years Which is the Definition of a Hypothesis? a. An enigmatic, perplexing, or troubling condition b. A statement articulating the research problem and indicating the need for a study c. The specific queries the researcher wants to answer in addressing the research problem d. The researcher s predictions about relationships among variables 31 32 Which is the Definition of a Hypothesis? The Hypothesis a. An enigmatic, perplexing, or troubling condition b. A statement articulating the research problem and indicating the need for a study c. The specific queries the researcher wants to answer in addressing the research problem d. The researcher s predictions about relationships among variables Can you identify the other definitions?? Translates the research question into a statistically testable statement **May or may not be explicitly listed in article. **Not typically used in qualitative studies. 33 34 Hypothesis: Types of Hypotheses States a prediction Must always involve at least two variables Suggests a predicted relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable (outcome) Must contain terms that indicate a relationship (e.g., more than, different from, associated with, increases) Null hypothesis No difference between groups (you want to reject the null) Non-directional hypothesis Looking for a change in any direction (high or low; positive or negative) (2 tailed) Directional hypothesis Looking for a change in 1 direction (1 tailed) 35 36 6
Research_EBP_L Davis_Fall 2015 2-tailed versus 1-tailed A Tale of Two Tails.05%.05%.025%.025% Interested in a change high or low Interested in a change in 1 direction only 37 38 7