Nursing Evaluation
Respond to the post bellow in one or more of the following ways:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, and evidence.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own review of the literature in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional sources.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
Main Post
Effect of a Nurse-Driven Mobility Protocol
The title of the study that I have chosen is “the effect of a nurse-driven mobility protocol.” The population that this study focuses on is that of older adults. The participants who took part in the study were only 50. The purpose of the study was to find out if patients had a better outcome of functional mobility and a decline in the length of stay after discharge in case a nurse-driven mobility model was employed. The nurse-driven mobility protocol that was used in the study was the Geriatric Friendly Environmental through Nursing Evaluation and Specific Interventions for Successful Healing. Thus nurse-driven agility was used before the study was conducted and this gave the nurses an opportunity to train before the study. This protocol allows the nurses to walk patients two to three times a day for meals or to the washrooms (Padula, Hughes, &Baumhover, 2009).
Potential Concerns
Validity means the degree of credibility and accuracy of information provided during a study. Internal validity is the liberated variable being the reason for the results as opposed to several other factors. In this study, the internal validity is at risk from the reality that most of the research participants in the treatment group are at a lesser risk for falls than those from the control group (Metheny, Davis-Jackson, & Stewart, 2010). This can have an effect on the validity of information during the research study. This is because if the treatment group were at a lower risk for falls, the group would be more self-sufficient before the study which can affect the outcomes of the research.
Another concern could also be seen where the staff may seem reluctant to walk their patients for long distances in case the patient is at risk for falls. Another problem of validity that can be encountered is the fact that there is no distinct definition of the exact number of times that a patient should be walked through and the distance to be covered by the control group. Lack of data showing the exact number of patients who were in the control and the treatment groups could also harm the internal validity. Another concern that may affect the validity of information may arise where patients from a nursing home may not participate actively as compared to those new from home.
Recommendations to Reinforce Internal Validity
To reinforce the internal validity in this case, the management of nursing care should implement clear and concise principles to guide the control group. The assessment of how often patients are ambulated and put on a chair for feeding should be done before the study to reinforce the internal validity of the data. In this research, the patients should have come from a similar environment before the admission. Using the data for all patients in the control group could also make the data clear thus strengthening the internal validity. They should also have similar statuses to enhance internal validity. Before being admitted, it is also essential for all patients to use or not use an assistive device for uniformity purposes. Ensuring similarity between these groups would have prevented issues of internal validity (Yuan et al. 2009).
Effects my Changes Could Have Regarding the Three Types of Validity
The changes regarding the three types of validity will lead to strengthening internal validity. By ensuring that all the participants of this study come from one environment and using the same assistive device, this will improve the validity of data during the study. Having clear guidelines for the control group will enhance validity by providing the best evidence.
Dangers of Failing to Be Considering the Validity of the Research Study.
During any research study, backing up your data through evidence-based practices improves the decision-making process and enhances validity. Failing to consider validity leads to weak and unreliable results which may harm the study subjects. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that validity is maintained as this would lead to certain outcomes.
References
Metheny, N. A., Davis-Jackson, J., & Stewart, B. J. (2010). Effectiveness of an aspiration risk reduction protocol. Nursing Research, 59(1), 18–25.
Padula, C. A., Hughes, C., &Baumhover, L. (2009). Impact of a nurse-driven mobility protocol on functional decline in hospitalized older adults. Journal
of Nursing Care Quality, 24(4), 325 331.
Yuan, S., Chou, M., Hwu, L., Chang, Y., Hsu, W., &Kuo, H. (2
