Rough Draft Qualitative Research Critique and Ethical Considerations

Research Critique Guidelines – Part I

Patient falls in nursing homes and hospitals are a critical public health concern due to their effects on the victims (Rogers et al., 2022). Older adult patients who are 65 years and above are more susceptible to falls due to several factors, key among them lack of gait, loss of muscle mass and cognitive impairment as a result of conditions like dementia and failing eye sight (CDC, 2023). The purpose of this research critique guidelines’ paper is to evaluate two qualitative studies used in the PICOT paper on interventions to reduce and mitigate falls among older adults in nursing homes and healthcare facilities.

Qualitative Studies

Background of Study

The first qualitative article is by Vincenzo et al. (2022) which details falls as one of the leading causes of fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults. The article explores older adults’ perception on falls prevention using the Health Belief Model (HBM). The article is significant to nursing as it demonstrates that reducing patient falls requires engaging patients and attaining their perspectives so that they accept the diverse strategies to mitigate the problem that affects them the most. The purpose of the article was to get older adults’ perspectives on falls, from barriers to facilitators and what should be included in their knowledge to prevent their occurrence. In this article, the research question, “Does engagement in fall prevention activities reduce and prevent falls?”

The second article is by Carter et al. (2020) who propose the adoption of a patient-tailored fall prevention initiative. The article is significant to nursing as it shows that having patient-centered interventions allows patients to participate and provide their insights on the best way for it to work. The purpose and objective of the article was to identify barriers and facilitators to fall TIPS adoption in nursing care settings. The associated research question for the article is, “What are the barriers and facilitators to Fall TIPS adoption in healthcare organizations?”

How do these two articles support the nurse practice issue you chose?

These two articles will be critical in answering the PICOT question as formulated. The PICOT question focuses on the use of Fall TIPS model as a strategy that allows nurses to engage patients based on their condition and environment before instituting an approach that can work or promises to have better effects in reducing and mitigating falls. These articles will be effective in answering the PICOT question by providing support for the intervention. The articles demonstrate that use of Fall TIPS requires patients to accept the intervention while working collaboratively with their providers. According to Carter et al. (2020), the use of Fall TIPS allows nurses to tailor the fall interventions based on patient condition. Again, Vincenzo et al. (2022) emphasizes the importance of patient information to engage in fall prevention interventions. Therefore, these articles answer the PICOT question by focusing on the importance of the Fall TIPS adoption and ensuring facilitators exist as opposed to barriers.

The interventions and comparison groups identified in these two articles are similar to those in the PICOT question. For instance, Carter et al. (2020) asserts that the use of Fall TIPS leads to reduced incidences of falls among older patients. Again, Vincenzo et al. (2022) emphasize about the need for patient engagement to implement Fall TIPS or any other intervention so that nurses can understand the underlying barriers. The implication is that these articles interventions are similar to the PICOT question. The comparison groups in the article entail having no intervention or normal safety measures, and these align with the ones in the PICOT question.

Method of Study:

The two articles use different methods of study to attain their results. Vincenzo et al. (2022) apply informed grounded theory and focus groups to demonstrate the effects of barriers and facilitators of falls; especially reasons for non-engagement. On their part, Carter et al. (2020) use interviews as well as focus groups to get information about the implementation of Fall TIPS. The use of informed grounded theory implies that researchers take privilege of pre-existing theories and models and research findings in a substantive field through a sensitive, creative and flexible manner. Through this approach, the researchers form a perspective that he or she wishes to fulfill in the study. This approach is essential as it allows them to formulate research question and even hypotheses. However, it can lead to biases or subjective approach to a research phenomenon.

Focus groups are essential as they assist researchers to discover new aspects and information about their investigation since participants own and contribute together on diverse perspectives about the chosen topic away from the imagination of the research team. However, focus groups are costly compared to other methods and are susceptible to moderator bias. The other method used in the articles is interview. A core advantage of interviews is that they help researchers exercise flexibility when formulating questions and give room to respondents to answer well. However, they can have significant levels of bias from the researcher or the respondent. These biases like racial class and physical appearance can affect the overall validity and credibility of the outcomes.

Use the practice problem and a qualitative, peer-reviewed research article you identified in the Topic 1 assignment to complete this assignment. In a 1000-1,250-word essay, summarize the study, explain the ways in which the findings might be used in nursing practice, and address ethical considerations associated with the conduct of the study. Refer to the resource “Research Critique Guidelines” for suggested headings and content for your paper. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to Turninit.

Research Critique Guidelines

To write a critical appraisal that demonstrates comprehension of the research study conducted, address each component below for qualitative study in the Topic 2 assignment and the quantitative study in the Topic 3 assignment.

Successful completion of this assignment requires that you provide a rationale, include examples, or reference content from the study in your responses.

Qualitative Study

Background of Study:

· Identify the clinical problem and research problem that led to the study. What was not known about the clinical problem that, if understood, could be used to improve health care delivery or patient outcomes? This gap in knowledge is the research problem.

· How did the author establish the significance of the study? In other words, why should the reader care about this study? Look for statements about human suffering, costs of treatment, or the number of people affected by the clinical problem.

· Identify the purpose of the study. An author may clearly state the purpose of the study or may describe the purpose as the study goals, objectives, or aims.

· List research questions that the study was designed to answer. If the author does not explicitly provide the questions, attempt to infer the questions from the answers.

· Were the purpose and research questions related to the problem?

Method of Study:

· Were qualitative methods appropriate to answer the research questions?

· Did the author identify a specific perspective from which the study was developed? If so, what was it?

· Did the author cite quantitative and qualitative studies relevant to the focus of the study? What other types of literature did the author include?

· Are the references current? For qualitative studies, the author may have included studies older than the 5-year limit typically used for quantitative studies. Findings of older qualitative studies may be relevant to a qualitative study.

· Did the author evaluate or indicate the weaknesses of the available studies?

· Did the literature review include adequate information to build a logical argument?

· When a researcher uses the grounded theory method of qualitative inquiry, the researcher may develop a framework or diagram as part of the findings of the study. Was a framework developed from the study findings?

Results of Study

· What were the study findings?

· What are the implications to nursing?

· Explain how the findings contribute to nursing knowledge/science. Would this impact practice, education, administration, or all areas of nursing?

Ethical Considerations

· Was the study approved by an Institutional Review Board?

· Was patient privacy protected?

· Were there ethical considerations regarding the treatment or lack of?

Conclusion

· Emphasize the importance and congruity of the thesis statement.

· Provide a logical wrap-up to bring the appraisal to completion and to leave a lasting impression and take-away points useful in nursing practice.

· Incorporate a critical appraisal and a brief analysis of the utility and applicability of the findings to nursing practice.

· Integrate a summary of the knowledge learned.

Quantitative Study

Background of Study:

· Identify the clinical problem and research problem that led to the study. What was not known about the clinical problem that, if understood, could be used to improve health care delivery or patient outcomes? This gap in knowledge is the research problem.

· How did the author establish the significance of the study? In other words, why should the reader care about this study? Look for statements about human suffering, costs of treatment, or the number of people affected by the clinical problem.

· Identify the purpose of the study. An author may clearly state the purpose of the study or may describe the purpose as the study goals, objectives, or aims.

· List research questions that the study was designed to answer. If the author does not explicitly provide the questions, attempt to infer the questions from the answers.

· Were the purpose and research questions related to the problem?

Methods of Study

· Identify the benefits and risks of participation addressed by the authors. Were there benefits or risks the authors do not identify?

· Was informed consent obtained from the subjects or participants?

· Did it seem that the subjects participated voluntarily in the study?

· Was institutional review board approval obtained from the agency in which the study was conducted?

· Are the major variables (independent and dependent variables) identified and defined? What were these variables?

· How were data collected in this study?

· What rationale did the author provide for using this data collection method?

· Identify the time period for data collection of the study.

· Describe the sequence of data collection events for a participant.

· Describe the data management and analysis methods used in the study.

· Did the author discuss how the rigor of the process was assured? For example, does the author describe maintaining a paper trail of critical decisions that were made during the analysis of the data? Was statistical software used to ensure accuracy of the analysis?

· What measures were used to minimize the effects of researcher bias (their experiences and perspectives)? For example, did two researchers independently analyze the data and compare their analyses?

Results of Study

· What is the researcher’s interpretation of findings?

· Are the findings valid or an accurate reflection of reality? Do you have confidence in the findings?

· What limitations of the study were identified by researchers?

· Was there a coherent logic to the presentation of findings?

· What implications do the findings have for nursing practice? For example, can the findings of the study be applied to general nursing practice, to a specific population, or to a specific area of nursing?

· What suggestions are made for further studies?

Ethical Considerations

· Was the study approved by an Institutional Review Board?

· Was patient privacy protected?

· Were there ethical considerations regarding the treatment or lack of?

Conclusion

· Emphasize the importance and congruity of the thesis statement.

· Provide a logical wrap-up to bring the appraisal to completion and to leave a lasting impression and take-away points useful in nursing practice.

· Incorporate a critical appraisal and a brief analysis of the utility and applicability of the findings to nursing practice.

· Integrate a summary of the knowledge learned.