Module 2, Assignment 2: Searching for a Quantitative Nursing Research Article

Submit by the due date and time listed in your course syllabus and schedule.

Overview

This assignment will allow you to practice searching for a quantitative nursing research article by using an online database. Follow the search strategy given on the document below. You will have two attempts to submit a correct article.

When you are successful with this assignment, you will use this nursing quantitative research article in a follow-up assignment in Module Four – The Evidence Based Practice Project: Finding the Evidence.

Instructions for Completing and Submitting Your Assignment

• Complete this week’s assigned reading in chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8.  This assignment is specific to the content of Chapter 8.  Make sure you understand the content of chapter eight (research design) prior to attempting this assignment.
• Review the topic list provided for you in the Module 2 Assignment 2 overview in the course.
• Choose a topic (or two) from the topic list and search for a quantitative nursing research article that meets the criteria in the rubric below.
  • It is recommended that you use the UTA library for your search.  They have thousands of full-text quantitative nursing research articles that you can access for free as a student.
  • If you are completely unfamiliar with the process of using a library and performing a literature search, we highly recommend that you read Chapter 6 in your textbook.
  • See the following UTA library links for how to search for nursing research articles at UTA:

• Check out this quick three minute tutorial video from the UTA library on how to search for nursing research articles: http://libraries.uta.edu/video/instruction/effectsearch/db.htm
• Nursing Librarians’ Contact Info – nursinglibrarians@uta.edu
• Nursing Guide – http://libguides.uta.edu/nursing
• Finding and evaluating Quantitative &/or Qualitative Research – http://libguides.uta.edu/researchtype

• If you would like some initial feedback because you feel unsure of whether an article you have found will meet the criteria below, submit ONE full-text PDF article to this assignment submission link by no later than NOON on Thursday.
  • If you meet this deadline, the coaches will look at your article and provide you with some feedback within the gradebook about whether your article meets the assignment criteria.
  • If you don’t do well on this first submission, you can read their feedback and submit your second article before the due date and time listed in your course syllabus and schedule.
• If you miss this initial noon Thursday deadline, don’t panic…you can still submit two articles for full credit grading and feedback by the due date and time listed in your course syllabus and schedule.
• Please note:
  • Coaches will not provide any feedback about your article searches via e-mail or on the Q & A board.
  • Only the first two articles you submit for grading will be reviewed by your Coach.  Please do not submit more than two articles.
  • All articles muse be uploaded in full-text PDF form.  Students who submit only abstracts or in a different file format will receive a zero for their submission.
• Important to know: If you submit one of the following types of articles you will receive a zero for your submission.  They do not meet the criteria for this assignment. See the rubric for additional details.
  • • • A qualitative design: phenomenology, grounded theory, case study, ethnography, or qualitative descriptive.

      • A “mixed methods” design.

• A quality improvement article.

• A retrospective study.
• A systematic review, meta-synthesis, meta-analysis, meta-summary, integrative review, or any other type of article that synthesizes recent studies on a topic.

• • • • A continuing nursing education-type article.
      • An article that is written only by physicians or other non-nurses.

Grading Rubric

Use this rubric to guide your work the assignment.  Points are awarded for each section based on content and clarity of expression.

What is Quality Assurance / Quality Improvement (QA / QI or QAPI)?

Quality assurance (QA) is a process of meeting industry-set quality standards and assuring that care reaches an acceptable level. QA is a reactive, retrospective effort to examine why a unit or facility fails to meet certain standards. QA activities do improve quality, but efforts frequently end once the standard is met.

Quality Improvement (QI) is a pro-active, continuous study of processes with the intent to prevent or decrease the likelihood of problems by identifying areas of opportunity and testing new approaches to fix underlying causes of persistent/ systemic problems.  QI can make good quality even better. This is also known as performance improvement (PI).

Characteristics of QA / QI  Projects:

• Uses the words “QI” or mentions “quality improvement” or performance improvement as a part of the goals of the article rather than simply describing the activities of research. Tip: search an article you are considering for these words.
• initiated by a QI department or a unit to solve an identified unit problem.
• Usually focuses on the quality of the work and performance of the employee or the unit…and they implement change with the idea of improving patient outcomes in that unit or hospital. (Compare this with the desire of nurse researchers to generalize the findings of research to other settings.)
• uses a retrospective data analysis (ie. chart reviews) to obtain some or all of data in project. (Compare this to the cross-sectional or longitudinal data collection techniques used in research.)
• often influenced by key topics chosen by TJC, CMS, and other acute care accrediting bodies. Examples include, but are not limited to: hourly rounding, CAUTI or pressure ulcer reduction.
• also influenced by low volume/high risk activities for that unit with a history of documented poor outcomes.
• Usually follows a formula, such as: plan do check act (PDCA)
• An extensive ROL with a “gap in the knowledge” or problem statement is typically absent in a QA / QI article.  (An extensive ROL with a problem and purpose statement is considered desirable in nursing research.)
• Compares outcomes from an “intervention” to retrospective chart data. (Compare this with using a pre-test-intervention-post-test quasi-experimental research design).
• QA / QI projects often do not use a theory or study framework in their ROL. (Use of a theory or study framework is considered desirable in a nursing research article.)
• You don’t need IRB approval for a QA / QI Project or to publish a QA / QI article. (Compare this with the importance of human subjects protections and need for IRB approval in research.)