Free Essay Evaluating Community Nursing Research

Evaluating Research

Community nursing is the field of healthcare that is concerned with the provision of healthcare outside the hospital setting. The practice includes nursing care provided at home, schools, and even police custody. Community nurses provide intervention and health education to community members. The research by Harris et al., (2013) seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of lifestyle intervention measures in community nursing practice. Evaluating quantitative studies such as the one by Harris, et al., (2013) is essential for making judgments and improving the effectiveness of the study. This paper evaluates the quantitative research, procedure, and results of Harris et al., (2013) using the components provided by Houser (2018) and uses the outcome to determine how the research contributes to evidence-based practice and clinical practice.

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Research Design Evaluation

The researchers have described the nature of the study early in the article. The authors have outlined the statistical design that follows the basic format of background, methods, results, and conclusion. The study design and planned statistical analysis methodology are clearly stated before the data collection. Also, the scholars have identified the specific design as a quasi-experimental. The rationale of the study design is that it is not possible to randomize the study intervention according to individual clients or the practitioners in the study. Therefore, quasi-experimental was the preferred design because it avoided bias in the overall response rate. More clients would have chosen to participate, and that would have compromised the generalisability of the findings. However, there is no research question which means the researchers didn't link the rationale to the research question.

The procedure for the intervention measures is detailed enough to allow the process to be replicated. The report makes a point of describing the measurement procedures together with the tools which have been summarised in Table 2 of Harris et al., (2013). However, Harris et al., (2013) fail to meet the fifth component of the checklist for evaluating a quantitative study that was described by Houser, (2018). The reliability of the instrumentation has been omitted, and the supporting statistical data are also missing. Also, the validity of the instrumentation was not given and the supporting statistical data unavailable. Instead, the report states that the validation of the measurement tools was done in separate research. As a result, the detailed protocol for the use of each instrument in the measurement is also not available. The researchers chose to place the information regarding the measurement instruments in a separate research article.

The author has identified the self-reporting of data by clients as the main threat to the internal validity of the research. The self-report by clients means that the data is susceptible to bias especially in regards to weight. The study used randomization as a way to control bias. Therefore, the researchers did not use blinding as a way of controlling researcher bias. The data that the authors provide is from on larger sample sizes which allow the findings to be generalized to other group settings.

Procedure and Results Evaluation

With no clearly defined research question or goals regarding the analysis, it is not possible to determine whether the t-tests and chi-square statistical tests are suitable those two factors. Since the level of measurement of the variables follows the interval scale, the statistical analyses are appropriate. The interval variables allow researchers to make arithmetic assumptions concerning the difference that exists between values. Furthermore, according to Lani, (2018) interval levels of measurements have no meaningful zero point which is what is happening in the research by Harris et al., (2013).

The downside is that there were was no testing of the assumptions on the data scale. As a research paper, the authors are likely to make a few assumptions in regards to the data collection process. On top of that, the premises are supposed to be tested to meet the requirements of the tests adopted. In this case, the scholars have not included the testing of the assumptions. The article, however, makes a good point of completing the fourth component proposed by Houser (2018) in regards to evaluating quantitative results. The analysis compared those who were physically active in the EI group to the LI group. The researcher also examined the change in readiness to change between groups. There was no comparison for more than two groups in the research, and therefore, there was no need to run error correcting tests such as ANOVA to compensate for the error.

The research article has seven tables and no graphs. All the tables are labeled correctly with titles to guide the reader on information available from the table. Also, the results that the authors have reported in the tables are consistent with the knowledge that is available in the text. The final item in regards to the evaluation of quantitative results is objectivity and accuracy of the reporting of results. Since the research is quantitative, the report uses descriptive statistics which provide specific figures. In the end, the authors manage to accomplish what they set out to do, and that is to fill the gap that exists in evaluating the effectiveness of intervention measures among community nurses. The research manages to accomplish most of the objectives set forth by Houser (2018).

How the Study Contributes to Evidence-Based Practise and Clinical Practise

The current nursing practice emphasizes evidence-based practice. Evidence-based practice consists of three components. It includes clinical expertise which depends on nurses' experiences. Then there is the patient values and preferences that the nurse obtains or develops from interacting with the patients and knowing their views and thoughts. The final component is the best research evidence which is where this study comes in. The study by Harris et al., (2013) is an evaluation of another research and therefore works into improving the effectiveness of the study. That means that the study will help improve the process and quality of research undertaken for the same or deferent topics. Therefore, the study contributes to improving evidence-based practice by aiding the operation and effectiveness of research so that community nurses use evidence-based practice with greater accuracy.

Also, the study is vital in highlighting the effectiveness of intervention measures done by community nurses. The research has highlighted that the majority of scholars chose to concentrate on the intervention measures and pay little attention to the effectiveness of the practice. The study seeks to fill that gap to highlight the impact of the efforts that community nurses place into aiding people outside a hospital setting. That helps show the nurses what works and what does not work so that they can build their expertise. Therefore, the study is an essential tool in developing the clinical knowledge of nurses who go ahead to combine their clinical expertise with patient preferences and research evidence to provide good evidence-based practice. That means that the study improves evidence-based practice as well as clinical practice by building the nurses experience.

According to Melnyk (2016), one of the seven steps of evidence-based practice involves evaluating the practice change. The study itself is an evaluation of the community nursing practice. Assessment is an integral part of evidence-based practice, and the evaluation skills that Houser (2018) proposes are essential for purposes of improving the skills of inquiry within the evidence-based practice. Melnyk (2016) further says that when delivering care to patients, it is important to question one's methods and actions so that they can continue to provide quality care to patients. The study doesn't just improve the skills of inquiry; it also builds the culture of research in clinical practice. Questioning one's practice can help the nurse identify the gaps in knowledge and understanding of a particular exercise. The evidenced-based practice in nursing is built upon the principle of inquiry where the nurse has to research so that they can confirm whether the route they have chosen in regards to administering healthcare is correct. Therefore, this study contributes to evidence-based practice by building the culture of inquiry.

Conclusion

Evaluation of research is essential for medical practitioners and scholars to make judgments about a study. The assessment also significantly contributes to improving the study by identifying the weaknesses hence making the research useful. Research evaluation takes place in two main categories as proposed by Houser (2018). There is the evaluation of the design and the assessment of the process and results. The research by Harris et al., (2013) meets most components of evaluating the design except the ones that involve measurement and providing statistical evidence for the instruments. In the results evaluation, there is no research question, and that leaves some components such as relating the statistical tests to the research question. The study contributes to evidence-based practice by improving the process of research, building the clinical expertise of the nurses and fostering the self-inquiry culture among nurses.

References

Harris, M., Chan, B., Laws, R., Williams, A., Davies, G. P., Jayasinghe, U., . . . Milat, A. (2013). The impact of a brief lifestyle intervention delivered by generalist community nurses (CN SNAP trial). BioMed Central, 1-11. Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/13/375

Houser, J. (2018). Nursing research: Readings, using & creating evidence (4th ed.). New York, Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Lani, J. (2018). Complete Dissertation. Retrieved from Statistics Solutions: https://www.statisticssolutions.com/data-levels-and-measurement/

Melnyk, B. M. (2016, October 23). Improving healthcare quality, patient outcomes, and costs with evidence-based practice. Retrieved from Reflections on Nursing Leadership: https://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org/features/more-features/Vol42_3_improving-healthcare-quality-patient-outcomes-and-costs-with-evidence-based-practice