satisfaction/improvement and number improvement
satisfaction/improvement and number improvement
Nursing is an evidenced-based profession. We rely on research before we implement anything into practice. When looking to research, I believe nurses look at two things: patient satisfaction/improvement and number improvement. Number improvement being lowering or raising blood pressures, decreasing the number of pressure ulcers, or increase or decrease of blood sugars. Quantitative research in nursing looks at the numbers aspect.
Quantitative research is defined as, “The process of testing relationships, differences, and cause and effect reactions between variables.” (Lobiondo-Wood and Haber, 2014). Quantitative establishes a relationship between numbers. It establishes a hypothesis to be evaluated. L.T. Choy states that the strength of quantitative is, “…that is data which is collected rigorously, using the appropriate methods and analyzed critically, is in its reliability.” (Choy, 2014). Quantitative research establishes internal and external validity within the article which proves the reliability of the research. Nurses must check the reliability of a research article. If a nurse is looking at the relationship between an intervention and numerical improvements then a nurse should look to a quantitative research study.
Qualitative research can be defined as, “The study of research questions about human experiences. …uses data that are words or text rather than numerical, in order to describe the experiences that are being studied.” (Lobiondo-Wood and Haber, 2014). This means that the researchers focus on opinions and feelings had during a certain time or experience rather than statistical or numerical values. Many times they use methods like interviews, document reviews, and field observations. The results often reflect a correlation between people. L.T Choy explains the strength of qualitative as, “The primary strength of the qualitative approach…is the ability to probe for underlying values, beliefs, and assumptions.” (Choy, 2014). Due to this, the researcher is able to find a common thread that he may have not found before. This opens up the door to even more research or further explains the question being raised. If a nurse is looking to improve a patient experience then a nurse should look to qualitative research.
In conclusion, both quantitative and qualitative research are useful in the nursing profession. Determining which one to use relies on what the nurse is looking to evaluate.
Choy, L. T. (2014). The strengths and weaknesses of research methodology: comparison and complementary between qualitative and quantitative approaches. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 19(4), 99-104.
