Chapter III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the discussion of the research design, the
locale of the study, the population and the sampling procedure, the data
gathering instruments, the data gathering procedures, and the statistical
treatment of data.
Research Design
This study had used the descriptive – correlation method of
research. Descriptive research design is a design which seeks to describe
the nature of a situation as it exists at the time of the study, and to
explore the causes of a phenomenon. Correlation research design is a
design to determine and describe what relationship exists between the
variables.
Locale of the Study
The study was conducted at Ilocos Training and Regional Medical
Center (ITRMC), a 300-bed capacity tertiary hospital which is located at
Barangay Parian San Fernando City, La Union. ITRMC is a "DOH-
Corporatized" health care facility in the Ilocos Region, providing a full
range of health service, training and research activities. Services are
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provided through a network of private and government clinics, hospitals
and other related facilities. The institution is supported educationally
through affiliations with a number of universities, medical schools,
schools of Nursing and other allied medical professions. ITRMC has the
mission to build a healthy constituency by serving as the focal center for
health service, training and research activities in the Ilocos Region, and
to provide health services that are responsive, acceptable, accessible and
affordable, encompassing promotive, preventive, curative and
rehabilitative.
Respondents of the Study
The respondents of the study were the patients admitted in Ilocos
Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) during the month of June
to July 2006. The respondents were selected through purposive sampling
wherein the respondents were carefully chosen based on the judgment of
who best qualify the objectives of the research and who is thought to be
the best to represent the phenomenon being studied.
During the months of June and July 2006, there were sixty-eight
(68) respondents objectively selected from the different wards of the
hospital. Fifteen (15) patients from the obstetrics and gynecology ward,
eight (8) patients from the male surgical ward and ten (10) patients from
the female surgical ward, seventeen (17) patients from the medical and
communicable disease wards, and six (6) patients each from the
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neurology – urology ward, ophthalmology – EENT ward and orthopedic
ward.
Data Gathering Tool and Procedure
A questionnaire was the main tool for data gathering. Part I dealt
on the profile of the respondents while Part II was the level of awareness
of patients in Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) on
their rights. The questionnaire was constructed by the researchers and
was reviewed and validated by selected instructors, chief nurse of Ilocos
Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) and Bethany Hospital,
who were expert in that discipline. The questionnaire was written in
English and was further transcribed in Filipino to facilitate better
understanding of the respondents on the questionnaire’s contents. It was
explained also individually to the respondents as the need arose. The
reliability of the questionnaire was tested by pre-testing it to patients of
Bethany Hospital, a 300-bed capacity tertiary hospital located at
Barangay II, Widdoes St. City of San Fernando, La Union. The Cronbach
α and the software of the SPSS wire was used to determine the reliability
of the questionnaire.
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Data Analysis
After the researchers gathered the necessary data and information
needed for the study, the collected data were tallied and tabulated and
the results were statistically treated in accordance with the objectives of
the study.
Frequency counts and percentages were used to determine the
profile of the respondents; on the other hand, weighted mean was used
to determine the level of awareness of patients admitted in Ilocos
Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC) on their rights.
Formula (Weighted Mean)
n
X= Σ Xi Wi
i=1 n
where:
Wi – weight of each score
Xi – item value
X – weighted mean
n – total number of items in the sample
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Pearson Product Moment Correlation was also used to determine
the significant relationship between the profile and the level of awareness
of patients in Ilocos training and Regional Medical Center with regards to
their rights.
Formula (Pearson Product Moment Correlation)
n (Σ xy ) – (Σ x) (Σ y)
r=
[ n (Σ x2) – (Σ x)2] [ n (Σ y2) – (Σ y)2]
where:
x – observed data for the independent variable
y – observed data for the dependent variable
n – sample size
r – degree of relationship between x and y
Rating Scale
The following rating scale was used in this study.
Point Value Statistical Range Descriptive Equivalent
3 2.4 – 3 Very much aware
2 1.7 – 2.3 Aware
1 1 – 1.6 Not aware