INTRODUCTION TO

NURSING RESEARCH
ROSE BIANCHI, RN, DNSc.

Copyright 2010
 Definition of Nursing Research
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Research means “ to search again or carefully

examine” (Langford 2001)
 The Research Process
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Provides: 1. A scientific basis for nursing
practice, and
2. Validates the effectiveness of
nursing interventions.
 GOALS OF NURSING
RESEARCH
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1. Improve nursing care
2. Improve patient care outcomes
3. Improve quality of life
4. Define and expand the scope of nursing
practice
 Examples of National Institute of Nursing
Research Priorities
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1. Chronic Illness or Conditions

a. Self- care and Symptom Management
b. Quality of Life and Care
2. Behavioral Changes and Interventions
a. Enhancing health promotion
3. Responding to Public Health Concerns
a. Examples: End of Life Issues, Health Care
Disparities
 ANA – Priorities for Nursing Research
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1. Promote health, well-being, & self-care for all ages,
social, and cultural groups.
2. Minimize & prevent behaviorally & environmentally
induced health problems.
3. Minimize negative effects of new health technologies.
4. Ensure the needs of the elderly, children, culturally
diverse people, people with mental illness and the
poor are met.
5. Classify nursing phenomenon.
6. Have ethics that guide research.
 ANA – Priorities for Nursing Research
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7. Develop instruments to measure patient outcomes.
8. Study people holistically.
9. Design & evaluate effective, high quality, & cost
effective ways to deliver care.
10. Evaluate the effectiveness of nursing education
approaches for nurse practitioners vs. clinical nurse
specialists.
11. Identify past & current factors influencing nurses to
became involved in National Health Care Policy
Development.
 Utilization of Nursing Research
Findings
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1. To restore health.
2. To prevent illness.
3. To minimize the effects of acute &
chronic illness & disability.
 Ways Knowledge Is Acquired In Nursing
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1. Scientific Method
2. Tradition
3. Expert Advise
4. Experience
5. Applying Knowledge to Nursing from Other
Disciplines
6. Problem Solving
7. Logical Thinking & Critical Thinking
 The Scientific Method
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1. Used to: understand, explain, predict or control
phenomenon
2. Is Objective with systematic & orderly procedures to
limit error or bias
3. Controls factors not under study
4. Data is gathered directly or indirectly by observation
5. GOAL: Apply knowledge generally
6. Has research questions or hypotheses
7. Example of Scientific Research: Experimental
Research
 Quantitative Research Method
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1. Is a vigorous, systematic, & objective method.
2. Involves phenomenon that can be measured:
pain, wound healing, drug effectiveness, etc.
3. Data is numerical
a. statistical analysis – T tests or Chi-square
to compare two or more groups
b. controls for bias.
 Types of Quantitative Research
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1. Experimental Study
a. Tightly controlled variables
b. Involves:
1. An Experimental Group who gets the
new intervention
2. A Control Group who does not get the
new intervention, but receives the
current standard of care
c. Random Selection – subjects are
randomly assigned to groups
 Types of Quantitative Research
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2. Survey Study
a. Used to obtain information from the population regarding
prevalence, distribution, & interrelation of variables within
the study population
b. Statistics used: mean, median, mode, &
percent
c. Uses questionnaires &/or interviews
(Pre-test research tool before using it.)
3. Evaluation Research
a. Determines how well a program, practice, procedure or policy works
b. Simple statistics - percent
 Qualitative Research
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1. Used to explore little known phenomenon that

are not easily identifiable.
2. Looks at the client’s perception of: health,
disease, and care.
3. Uses open ended interviews and case studies.
4. Is subjective data.
 Types of Qualitative Research
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1. Ethnography
2. Phenomenology
3. Historical Research
4. Exploratory Research
5. Descriptive Research
Comparing Goals of the Nursing
Process to the Research Process
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1. The goal of the nursing process is to plan
care for clients to: restore, maintain or
promote health.
2. The goal of the research process is to: gain
information to use in other similar
situations with similar clients.
 Comparing the Nursing Process
and the Research Process
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Nursing Process Research Process
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Assessment Identify Phenomena
Diagnosis Research Problem, Hypotheses
Goals Review of Literature
PlanningStudy Design
Patient Expected Outcomes Theoretical or Conceptual Framework
Implementation Data Collection
Evaluation Analysis of Results, Recommendations, &
Implications for Further Research
Research Role of the ADN Graduate
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1. Use research findings in nursing practice.
2. Identify research problems.
3. Assist in research projects as a data
collector.
 Rights of Human Subjects
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A. Informed Consent
1. The research subjects are given full &
complete information about the:
a. purpose of the study
b. procedures used
c. data collection
d. potential harm & benefits
e. alternative methods of treatment
 Rights of Human Subjects
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2. The subject(s) are capable of understanding about
the research study and the implications of
participating.
3. The subject(s) understand how confidentiality will
be maintained: group data is only reported and the
data is not accessible to anyone but the research
team.
4. The subject has the power of free choice to
voluntarily consent or decline participation in the
study at any time.
 Rights of Human Subjects
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5. There is anonymity, i.e., the research
cannot link the subject to the data.
6. Whether a person does or does not
participate in the study will not effect their
care or relationship with their health care
providers.
 Locating Research Studies
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1. Research Journals – Nursing Research
2. Indices – Cumulative Index to Nursing &
Allied Health, International Nursing
Index, Index Medicus
3. Online Computer Searches – Medline
4. Reference Lists of books or articles
 Identifying Clinical Problems
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1. Look at unanswered questions regarding:
a. How to intervene
b. What is the best intervention
c. How to improve patient outcomes
d. What a concept is
e. How to measure a concept
 Components of a Research
Study Article
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1. Abstract – a brief summary of the purpose, subjects, methodology,
& results
2. Introduction to the Research Study – purpose, review of the
literature, & research questions
3. Methods – study method, sample characteristics & size, how the
data was collected, & instruments used
4. Results – research findings, and statistical analysis
5. Discussion – interpretation of results, study conclusions, &
implications
6. Reference List
 Using Research Findings in
Nursing Practice
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1. The worth of the study
2. Do other studies have similar results?
3. Is the sample population the same as your population?
4. Do the results definitively solve a nursing problem?
5. Feasibility – need the check out the cost, risks, benefits,
resources required, policy change, legalities, ethics
6. Must determine what can be applied & how to apply it
7. Is the research base sound?
 Statistical Data and Tests to be Analyzed to
Determine the Worth of a Research Study
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1. Sample Size
a. For a qualitative study, you need at
least 30 subjects, and
b. For a quantitative study, you need
at least 50 subjects for the study to
be reliable and valid.
2. Reliability Testing –
Is the extent to which measurement error is
slight.
a. Interrater Reliability-
Cronbach’s alpha needs to be > 0.80
b. Test-Retest – want a Cronbach’s
alpha of > 0.80
 Statistical Data and Tests to be Analyzed to
Determine the Worth of a Research Study

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3. Validity Testing –
Do the study instruments measure what
they intend to measure?
a. Content Validity –
Have experts on the subject
evaluate the instrument before
using it.
b. Construct Validity –
Correlation of one instrument with
another one that is suppose to
measure the same concept.
The correlation between the two
instruments should be high > 0.80