Theory, Research, and Evidence-Based Practice

Discussion:-3

Theory, Research, and Evidence-Based Practice

As they explore the world around them, young children often want to know the “why” and “how” of the things they observe. This is similar to what researchers do when they approach a new problem. Researchers develop new theories or build on old ones to explain the “why” of the world around them. They use models and conceptual frameworks to help explain “how” the processes and events they observe occur. Together, theories and models provide an understanding of the world and allow researchers to explore it in meaningful ways.

Virtually all research questions can benefit from the use of an existing theory or model. Researchers should consider their research questions and select the most suitable theory or model, which then serves as a foundation for the research design. The selection of a theory or model is an important part of the research process.

In this Discussion, you focus on the role of theory and models in research and evidence-based practice.

To prepare:

Review the information in Chapter 6 of the course text. Focus on the various conceptual theories and models that are currently used in nursing research.

Select one of the theories or models described that is of interest to you.

Using the Walden Library, search for and identify a research article that uses the theory or model you selected.

Reflect on how the theory or model provides structure to the research study described in the article.

Now, think about an issue in your practice area that you would be interested in exploring through research.

Review this week’s media presentation and consider strategies for locating and identifying a relevant theory or model for a research study.

Please Provide References

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2017). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (10th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.

Chapter 2, “Evidence-Based Nursing: Translating Research Evidence into Practice” (Review pages 14–31)

Chapter 6, “Theoretical Frameworks”

In this chapter, you are introduced to the concept of theories, models, and frameworks and how they serve as the foundation for research. The chapter examines key theories for both quantitative and qualitative research. Finally, critiquing frameworks in research reports is detailed.

Cantrell, M. A. (2011). Demystifying the research process: Understanding a descriptive comparative research design. Pediatric Nursing, 37(4), 188–189.

This article discusses the primary aspects of a prominent quantitative research design as used in a specific research study. The author analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the design, along with the rationale for choosing that design.

Finn, P. (2011). Critical thinking: Knowledge and skills for evidence-based practice. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 42(1), 69–72.

This article responds to the assertion that “rational or critical thinking is an essential complement to evidence-based practice.” The author stipulates how critical thinking is relevant to EBP, what skills and thinking dispositions are important, and how thinking can go wrong.

Tagney, J., & Haines, C. (2009). Using evidence-based practice to address gaps in nursing knowledge. British Journal of Nursing (BJN), 18(8), 484–489.

This article illuminates key barriers to undertaking and implementing nursing research. The authors suggest a framework for improving the implementation of evidence and research.

Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012i). Selecting a framework. Baltimore, MD: Author.

This animated video shows the process of selecting a particular research framework. The video follows a specific scenario in which a researcher considers several possible frameworks and selects the most appropriate one.

Discussion:-4

Ethical Dimensions of Research Studies

In the best-selling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Skloot, 2010), the author highlights the true story of an African-American woman who died in 1951 from cervical cancer. What makes her story unique is that prior to her death, cells from her tumor were removed and successfully grown in a petri dish. This was the first time scientists were able to successfully replicate cells outside the body, and it is estimated that billions of Lacks’ cells have been used in medical research. However, Henrietta Lacks was never asked for permission to take a sample and her family was never made aware of the widespread use of her cells. Although the culturing of her cells has been pivotal for advancing research, strong ethical concerns later arose about using these cells without patient or family approval.

This week’s readings describe historical examples of unethical research, such as a study of syphilis among African-American men in which treatment was withheld and a study in which live cancer cells were injected into elderly patients. Today, stricter controls that seek to protect study participants are placed on researchers, but breaches still occur. Careful attention must be given toward preventing unethical behavior. In this Discussion, you explore ethical considerations and issues in research.

To prepare:

Select a current health-related case involving research ethics. (If none come to mind, browse the Internet to familiarize yourself with recent cases.)

As you review the case that you have selected, reflect on the ethical principles discussed in “What Are the Major Ethical Issues in Conducting Research?” article found in this week’s Learning Resources. Which principles were breached in the case you have identified?

Please Provide References

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2017). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (10th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.

Chapter 3, “Key Concepts and Steps in Qualitative and Quantitative Research” (for review)

Chapter 4, “Research Problems, Research Questions, and Hypotheses”

This chapter focuses on the steps in planning a study to generate evidence. These include developing a research question, identifying variables, articulating a problem statement, and generating hypotheses.

Chapter 7, “Ethics in Nursing Research”

In this chapter, the focus is on the ethical dilemmas that occur when planning and conducting research and the ethical principles that have been enacted for protecting study participants.

Fouka, G., & Mantzorou, M. (2011). What are the major ethical issues in conducting research? Is there a conflict between the research ethics and the nature of nursing? Health Science Journal, 5(1), 3–14.

This article describes a literature review conducted to determine the most important ethical issues that nurses encounter when undertaking or participating in research. The authors detail the results of the review and make recommendations for solving some of the problems highlighted.

Newcomb, P. (2010). Evolving fairness in research on human subjects. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 23(3), 123–124.

In this article, the author describes some of the ethical controversies that may arise in conducting research in human subjects, especially with respect to ownership of genes. The author also stresses the importance of educating research subjects and their families about the ultimate purpose of research.

Yakov, G., Shilo, Y., & Shor, T. (2010). Nurses’ perceptions of ethical issues related to patients’ rights law. Nursing Ethics, 17(4), 501–510.

The authors of this article detail a study conducted to determine how nursing staff deal with ethical issues in relation to the law. The article emphasizes the difficulty staff had in distinguishing between legal and ethical problems. The authors make several recommendations to deal with legal and ethical problems.

Delwiche, F. (2008). Anatomy of a scholarly research presentation in the health sciences. Retrieved from http://dana.uvm.edu/Anatomy/

This presentation highlights the primary components of scholarly research articles. The presentation details the distinguishing factors of scholarly journals, the peer-review process, and the definition of “primary literature.”

American Nurses Association. (2001). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Retrieved from http://nursingworld.org/DocumentVault/Ethics-1/Code-of-Ethics-for-Nurses.html

This website provides the code of ethics for nurses to be used in carrying out their responsibilities. There is also a detailed explanation of each provision.

Document: Literature Review Summary Table Template (Word document)

Note: You will use this document to complete the Project throughout this course.

Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012a). Anatomy of a research study. Baltimore, MD: Author.

This multimedia piece explains the “anatomy” of both quantitative and qualitative research studies. In addition, there is a brief quiz at the end of the tutorial to measure knowledge about research articles.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012d). Evidence-based practice and research. Baltimore, MD: Author.

In this video, Dr. Marianne Chulay talks about the significance of evidence-based practice and research in nursing. She explains how nurses should apply research findings to health care decisions to improve outcomes.