Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing, 6th
Edition
You are a nurse researcher interviewing senior oncology nurses, asking them to describe how
they deal with the loss of a patient. The analysis of the interviews yields common themes
describing the nurses' grief. This is an example of which type of study? - ANS Qualitative study.
(A qualitative study involves inductive reasoning to develop generalizations or theories from
specific observations or interviews. Historical research establishes facts and relationships
concerning past events. Correlational research is exploration of the interrelationships among
variables of interest without any intervention by the researcher. An experimental study involves
the use of tightly controlled subject groups, variables, and procedures to eliminate bias and
ensure that findings can be generalized to similar groups of subjects.)
An operating room nurse is talking with colleagues during a meeting. She asks, "I wonder if we
would see fewer wound infections if we used chlorhexidine instead of povidone-iodine to clean
the skin of our surgical patients? What does the P represent in this example of a PICOT
question? - ANS Surgical patients.
(Surgical patients are the patient population of interest (P) in the PICOT (patient population,
intervention, comparison, outcome, time) question. The intervention is the cleaning of the skin,
and the comparison of interest is between chlorhexidine use and povidone-iodine use.
Operating room nurses are not an element of the PICOT question.)
A nurse researcher is designing an exercise study that involves 100 patients who attend a
wellness clinic. As the patients come to the clinic, each has a choice as to whether he or she
wants to be in the new exercise program or remain in the traditional program. The nurse plans
to measure the patients' self-report of exercise before and 6 months after the program begins.
What factor might influence the results of this study in an unfavourable way? - ANS Sampling
method.
(Because the patients at the clinic are allowed their choice of the traditional versus the new
exercise program, the sampling in this study is not random sampling.)
The foundation of research is which of the following? - ANS Scientific method.
(The scientific method is the foundation of research and is the most reliable and objective of all
methods of obtaining knowledge. Documentation, critical thinking, and evidence are not the
foundations of research.)
, A researcher gives a subject full and complete information about the purpose of a study. This is
an example of which of the following? - ANS Informed consent.
(Informed consent implies that the research subjects are given full and complete information
about the purpose of the study, procedures, data collection, potential harms and benefits, and
alternative methods of treatment. Confidentiality rules guarantee that any information the
subject provides will not be reported to people outside the research team. Bias is any personal
opinion or judgement that may be interjected into the results. Anonymity means that the
subject's name and identifying information would not be disclosed during the research study.)
A new nurse on an orthopedic unit is assigned to care for a patient undergoing skeletal traction.
The nurse asks a colleague, "What is the best practice for cleaning pin sites in skeletal
traction?" This question is an example of which of the following? - ANS Knowledge-focused
trigger.
(A knowledge-focused trigger is a question regarding new information available on a topic. A
problem-focused trigger is one faced while the nurse is caring for a patient or noting a trend.
The PICOT (population, intervention, comparison, outcome, time) format is a way to phrase a
question to help clarify the question and the parts. A hypothesis is a prediction about the
relationship between study variables.)
The nurses on a medical unit have seen an increase in the number of pressure injuries
developing in their patients. The nurses decide to initiate a quality improvement project with the
plan, do, study, act (PDSA) model. Which of the following is an example of the "do" step of that
model? - ANS Implement a new skin care protocol on all medical units.
(The "do" step consists of selecting an intervention on the basis of a data review, implementing
the change, and studying the results of the change. The "plan" step includes reviewing the
available data to understand existing practice conditions or problems to identify the need for
change. The results of the change are evaluated in the "study" step. The "act" step is the
incorporation of the findings into current practice.)
The nurse researcher obtains informed consent from participants in a study primarily for which
reason? - ANS To ensure that the study subjects understand their roles in the study.
(The conduct of research must meet ethical standards in which the rights of human subjects are
protected. The research participants must be told about the study's purpose and procedure and
their roles in the study. The researcher is always legally responsible for his or her actions.
Control of variables is related to the study design, not to informed consent. Confidentiality is part
of the ethical nature of research but is not the focus of informed consent.)
Which of the following is a priority goal for nursing research? - ANS Improving patient care.
