Though not frequently utilized in quantitative research, comparative research is a widespread practice in qualitative studies. Aiming to compare two or more objects, phenomena, or incidents, the research attempts to discover something new about one or all of the variables compared. Taken a multidisciplinary approach, the research, summarized by Piovani and Krawczyk (2017), investigates the work-related stress factors in primary nursing model and the individual patient allocation model.
While hospital settings use a multitude of nursing allocation models, little information is available about the potential associations between the primary nursing model and the individual patient allocation model in terms of work-related psychosocial profiles. As explained by Engbers (2016), cross-sectional study is one of the most widely utilized research method in comparative research, since it allows for a broad analysis of the contrasted concepts. Therefore, to collect the data, researchers asked 643 nursing professionals, working in 22 wards, to complete an electronic questionnaire under the conditions of a cross-sectional study.
As concluded by the scholars, there is no sufficient evidence to argue about the correlation between motivational characteristics and different nursing allocation models. According to Pattyn, Molenveld, and Befani (2017), the aforementioned findings appear consistent with the former studies in the field, confirming the validity of the research methodology. On the one hand, the nurses who were assigned to work in the individual patient allocation model were significantly higher satisfied with their nursing managers. On the other hand, the nurses who worked under the primary nursing model experienced more work-related stress and higher turnover rates. Overall, both models exhibit positive and negative features when it comes to work-related stress; thus, more comparative research is required to support the hypothesis outlined in the article.
References
Engbers, T. A. (2016). Comparative research: An approach to teaching research methods in political science and public administration. Teaching Public Administration, 34(3), 270-283. Web.
Pattyn, V., Molenveld, A., Befani, B. (2017). Qualitative comparative analysis as an evaluation tool: Lessons from an application in development cooperation. American Journal of Evaluation, 40(1), 55–74. Web.
Piovani, J. I., & Krawczyk, N. (2017). Comparative studies: Historical, epistemological and methodological notes. Education Realities, 42(3), 821-839. Web.