Nursing research is an integral part of the scholarly exploration, as it helps specialists in the profession find the most effective practices of improving the care for patients. Research is also instrumental in responding to changes in the healthcare environment, governmental regulations, and populations of patients. The understanding of the primary research principles is expected to increase the information literacy of nurses and transform knowledge from the one they have to the one they can use in everyday practice.
This information literacy can empower professionals in this field and enable them to use the newly found information to make meaningful decisions regarding patient care. Thus, the purpose of the current paper is to explore the subject of research designs in the nursing practice to determine ways in which scholarly studies can enhance the profession.
Quantitative Research
Conducting quantitative research within the nursing practice is essential because this type of study is objective, enables the use of statistical information, tests various theories and hypotheses, as well as assumes samples that are representative of a population. Among the four main types of quantitative approaches, experimental designs are commonly used in the nursing practice. They imply the use of a scientific method for finding cause-effect connections between a group of variables. The influence of the independent variable on the dependent is further analyzed to identify their relationship. Quantitative research can improve nursing practice through the suggestion of experiment-based interventions that will benefit patient care and enable nurses to be inventive.
Qualitative Research
The importance of qualitative research lies in its usefulness in exploring various social interactions, processes, and systems involved in them. It can provide scholars with a comprehensive understanding of the different ways in which people understand, manage, and act in their everyday interactions with each other. Case studies are common types of qualitative research in the nursing practice and are used when scholars want to observe behaviors to understand a specific phenomenon better.
This qualitative research design is considered necessary because it allows for an in-depth investigation of a particular subject to reveal the underlying principles of an occurrence in the context of real life. Qualitative research can benefit the nursing practice because of its contribution to generating new concepts and ideas that are later used in inpatient care.
Research Sampling
Sampling represents a statistical analysis process in which a predetermined number of observations are taken from a large population. It helps in research because studying an entire people and thus involving every individual is inefficient and impossible. Because of this, a section of the population is taken. In quantitative research, probability sampling is used often because it takes steps for ensuring the use of randomization to select a sample (Setia, 2016). For example, stratified sampling takes place by dividing a population into subgroups and randomly selecting potential participants from those groups. Another type of probability sampling is random sampling, in which every member of the population has an equal chance of becoming research participants.
Credible Nursing Practice
Research conducted in the sphere of nursing is essential for making the practice safe and effective. In order to implement evidence-based practice in healthcare settings, nurses need evidence (Blake, 2016). Combined with their practical knowledge and hands-on experiences, nurses can structure studies and collect necessary evidence that would lead to enhanced care for patients. The primary purpose of nursing research is to achieve better standards of care and apply them to patients and their families.
As mentioned by Black, Balneaves, Garossino, Puyat, and Qian (2015), the health outcomes of patients tend to improve when nurses act in a manner that is based on evidence. The evidence-based practice represents an approach of problem-solving within clinical care that “incorporates the conscientious use of current best practice from well-designed studies, a clinician’s expertise, and patient values and preferences” (as cited in Black et al., 2015, p. 14). Without conducting research, one will not be able to find new evidence to reinforce the nursing practice, which is why nursing studies are essential for maintaining the continuous cycle of collecting information and then testing its usefulness in practice.
Conclusion
As the main principles of nursing practice are based on evidence, conducting research is essential for harnessing the knowledge necessary for increasing the quality of care and enhancing the nature of relationships between patients and nurses. Quantitative and qualitative studies represent valuable methods of finding relevant information about the nursing practice and, depending on the purpose of research, may reveal valuable information regarding social interactions or phenomena.
Sampling is required to ensure that the group of people involved in a study is representative of a population. Whether researchers used random or non-random piece, they should ensure that the methods chosen for their studies benefit their reliability and validity. Overall, the nursing practice helps from research significantly, which is why it is crucial for scholars in the field to continue their investigations and come up with positive methods of improving the quality of care for patients.
References
Black, A. T., Balneaves, L. G., Garossino, C., Puyat, J. H., & Qian, H. (2015). Promoting evidence-based practice through a research training program for point-of-care clinicians. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 45(1), 14-20.
Blake, N. (2016). Yes, nurses do research, and it’s improving patient care. Web.
Setia, M. S. (2016). Methodology series module 5: Sampling strategies. Indian Journal of Dermatology, 61(5), 505-509.