Canadian Essentials of Nursing Research, Coursework Example

The ability to exercise a critical eye in the evaluation of research studies supports a greater understanding of their value and significance to the questions that have been posed. This supports the need for additional insights regarding the influence of striking a balance between statistical needs and the clinical outcomes that are desired as a result of the study itself. This balance requires an understanding of inferential and multivariate research statistical procedures, but to also recognize the type of research question to be considered and if these tools are appropriate for that approach. This is an important reminder to base the statistical procedure around the research question, and not the reverse. For inferential statistics, data associated with the projection of acute and chronic illnesses in a psych ward may be evaluated by inferring that patients will have one or more illnesses that require treatment. Therefore, judgments may be made regarding the data and the hypothesis in question (Polit & Beck, 2013).

The evaluation of research evidence requires nurses to recognize the different types of statistical methods in order to determine which is most appropriate for the research question under discussion (Polit & Beck, 2013). The complexity of statistical methods requires nurses to understand these tools in order to develop research questions that are relevant to the practice environment (Profetto-McGrath, Polit, & Beck, 2010). In working with patients in the psychiatric ward, multivariate statistics may include the identification of variables such as acute and chronic illness in order to determine if they have an impact on patients, and if so, the extent of this impact. These statistics aim to evaluate mental health conditions in conjunction with two types of physical conditions: acute and chronic, in order to determine if there is a correlation between the physical and mental components of the body. This is an important reminder of the different areas where patients with mental health issues might be affected by physical illnesses of various types.

References

Polit, D.F., & Beck, C.T. (2013). Essentials of Nursing Research: Appraising Evidence for Nursing Practice. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Profetto-McGrath, J., Polit, D.F., & Beck, C.T. (2010). Canadian Essentials of Nursing Research. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.