Nursing Research ➔ Start the process by clarifying the

research question you would like

Objectives:
answered.
By the end of the course/module,
➔ Use your research question to
students will be able to analyze nursing
help you identify keywords.
research literature to identify gaps in
current knowledge, formulate research When you select search terms, these should
questions, and design appropriate data reflect the purpose of your search.
collection methods.
Consider the reason you are searching for
Nursing research involves a plethora of tools information. Is it for:
and resources that researchers employ
1. Personal interest?
throughout the research process
2. Finding out about local issues?
- In addition to the traditional approaches of
the scientific method, researchers today 3. Work-based information?
have new avenues to explore in the
4. An assignment?
development of knowledge.
5. Something else?
What is also of importance for computer use
in nursing is the research on computerized ❖ Identifying why you are searching
applications and nursing informatics, which for information will influence how
is revolutionizing how health information is you find information and help
documented in the Electronic Health Record determine the keywords you use.
(EHR) and producing pools of searchable
secondary data waiting to be tapped. ❖ Think about how appropriate the
following keywords might be for the
e computer has been a tool for researchers purpose of the search.
in many aspects of the research process and
has gone beyond its historic application once ❖ Even with carefully chosen
limited to number crunching and business keywords, you may still be getting
transactions. too many search hits.

LITERATURE SEARCH is a systematic, ❖ You can refine your search by

thorough search of a range of literature (e.g. using the advanced features of your
books, peer-reviewed articles, etc.) on your search engine, or database.
topic.
For example, in Google you can exclude
Literature searching can be broken down terms by using a dash (-) before them (think
into a series of iterative steps. of it as a minus).

When planning your search? ❖ If you were searching for a

supplier of 0 chippings to make a
KEYWORDS AND PHRASES
child's play area safe, you wouldn't
 necessarily require any results Data collection methods are techniques and
talking about dogs. procedures used to gather information for
research purposes.
- bark play-dog (screen reader users:
bark play-(dash) dog) IMPORTANCE OF DATA COLLECTION
METHODS
TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR SEARCH
1. Determines the quality and accuracy of
1. Plan your search by thinking about
collected data.
what you are really looking for, and
decide which keywords best describe 2. Ensures that the data is relevant, valid,
your topic. and reliable.
2. Look back through any background 3. Helps reduce bias and increase the
material to find relevant keywords representativeness of the sample.
you may have forgotten.
4. Essential for making informed decisions
3. If you get too many results, try and accurate conclusions.
adding more keywords to your
5. Facilitates achievement of research
search. This will make it more
objectives by providing accurate data.
specific.
6. Supports the validity and reliability of
4. If you find too few relevant results,
research findings.
try removing one or two words to
make your search broader.
5. Set a time limit, and stop if you TYPES OF DATA COLLECTION METHODS
have not found anything.
1. Primary Data Collection Methods
6. Set a search to exclude certain
• Statistical Methods
terms in the result, or use other
• Surveys
advanced features to refine the hits
you get. • Polls
• Interview
WHERE TO SEARCH? • Delphi Technique
➔ Library Search - is a good starting • Focus Groups
point, particularly for unfamiliar 2. Secondary Data Collection Methods
topics, to provide background
information and lead to further • Financial Reports
Sources. • Sales Reports
• Government Reports
Data is a collection of facts, figures, objects, • Internet
symbols, and events gathered from different • Mission and Vision Statement
Sources.
PRIMARY DATA is collected from first-hand ➔ survey software can generate
experience and is not used in the past. The various reports and run analytics
data gathered by primary data collection algorithms to discover hidden
methods are specific to the research's insights.
motive and highly accurate.
➔ survey dashboard can give
Categories: statistics related to response rate,
completion rate, filters based on
➔ QUANTITATIVE METHODS:
demographics, export and sharing
Usually use statistical tools. The demand is options, etc.
forecasted based on historical data and are
generally used to make long-term forecasts. ➔ Integrating survey builder with
third-party apps can maximize the
+ Statistical methods are highly reliable as effort spent on online real-time data
subjectivity is minimal in these methods collection.
➔ QUALITATIVE METHODS: 2. Polls: comprise one single or multiple-
choice question. You can go for polls when it
Qualitative research is closely associated
is required to have a quick pulse of the
with words, sounds, feelings, emotions,
audience's sentiments because they are
colors, and other elements that are non-
short in length, it is easier to get responses
quantifiable. These techniques are based on
from people.
experience, judgment, intuition, conjecture,
emotion, etc ★ Like surveys, online polls can also
1. Surveys: are used to collect data from the be embedded into various platforms.
target audience and gather insights into Once the respondents answer the
their preferences, opinions, choices, and question, they can also be shown
feedback related to their products and how they stand compared to others'
services. responses.

“Ready-made survey template to save time 3. Interviews: The interviewer asks the
and effort” respondents face-to-face or by telephone.

- Online surveys can be customized • This form of data collection is

as per the business's brand by suitable for only a few respondents.
changing the theme, logo, etc. They It is too time-consuming and tedious
can be distributed through several to repeat the same process if there
distribution channels such as email, are many participants
website, offline app, QR code, social ➔ In face-to-face interviews, the
media, etc. interviewer asks a series of questions
ONCE THE DATA IS COLLECTED: to the interviewee in person and
notes down responses.
 ➔ If it is not feasible to meet the data from the data sources, both internal
person, the interviewer can go for a and external, to the organizational data.
telephone interview.
➔ Internal sources of secondary data:
4. Delphi Technique: market experts are
• Organization's health and safety
provided with the estimates and
records
assumptions of forecasts made by other
• Mission and vision statements
experts in the industry.
• Financial Statements
- Experts may reconsider and revise • Magazines
their estimates and assumptions • Sales Report
based on the information provided • CRM Software
by other experts. • Executive summaries
• The consensus of all experts on ➔ External sources of secondary data:
demand forecasts constitutes the
final demand forecast. • Government reports
• Press releases
5. Focus Groups: a small group of people,
• Business journals
around 8-10 members, discuss the common
• Libraries
areas of the research problem.
• Internet
- Each individual provides his insights
Second data collection methods:
on the issue concerned. A moderator
regulates the discussion among the • can also involve quantitative and
group members. At the end of the qualitative techniques.
discussion, the group reaches a
• is easily available, less time-consuming and
consensus.
more expensive than primary data.
6. Questionnaire: is a printed set of
questions, either open-ended or closed- ❖ the authenticity of the data
ended. gathered cannot be verified.

- The respondents must answer ➢ Regardless of the data collection

based on their knowledge and method of your choice, there must
experience with the issue. be direct communication with
decision-makers so that they
• The questionnaire is a part of the understand and commit to acting
survey, whereas the questionnaire's according to the results.
end goal may or may not be a survey.
DATA PROCESSING occurs when data is
collected and translated into usable
SECONDARY DATA is the data that has been information.
used in the past. The researcher can obtain
➔ Usually performed by a data scientist or ➔ In a cloud-hosted DBMS the back
team of data scientists, it is important for end is accessed through the Internet
data processing to be done correctly as not
➔ In an in-house hosted system the
to negatively ffect the end product, or data
server that houses the database is on
output.
site.
➔ starts with data in its raw form and
➔ A centralized system is one where
converts it into a more readable format
there is a single, central computer
(graphs, documents, etc.)
that hosts a database and the DBMS.
Six stages of data processing:
➔ A distributed system is one where
• Data collection there are multiple database files
• Data preparation located at different sites.
• Data input
In a CENTRALIZED SYSTEM, there is a central
• Processing
control mechanism. Conversely, in a
• Data output/interpretation
DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM there is no centralized
• Data storage
control structure. With the changing
DATABASE APPLICATION is a computer direction of healthcare to keeping the
program that allows the creation, patient out of the hospital by monitoring
modification, retrieval, and deletion of data. them at home, the digitization of all patient
records, patient portals, and so forth, there
• Cloud technology builds on the
is a shift to a more distributed system or
convenience of current electronic data
decentralized system (Wiler, Harish, & Zane,
processing methods and accelerates its
2017).
speed and effectiveness.
DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
• Big data cloud technologies allow for
(DBMS) is software that contains the
companies to combine all of their platforms
database as well as a collection or set of
into one easily-adaptable system.
programs for accessing and processing these
• As software changes and updates cloud data in the database thereby identifying
technology seamlessly integrates the new relationships between the data.
with the old.
Structure of a DBMS:
CLOUD DATA STORAGE is a critical part of
Each table consists of attributes and data
your data infrastructure. That's because how
points associated to those attributes
and where you decide to store your data
determines which analytics and processing Data types are important as they exert some
tools you'll have access to, how secure your control for preventing data entry errors
data will be, and how quickly your team can
Advantages of database Management
access their information.
Systems
It imposes a structure onto the data that ➔ can sync responses from
allows interaction between the end user and connected online forms, import
the data. existing data (like from a CSV or Excel
file), or manually add new entries
• In general, a DBMS allows the storage,
into Jotform Tables.
curation, and retrieval necessary to turn
data without context into data that can be ➔ is a collaborative spreadsheet
used to generate information and software solution that allows you to
knowledge useful in making wise patient customize access settings, assign
care decisions. entries to teammates, and even send
SPREADSHEET is a computer program that data to other platforms to optimize
can capture, display and manipulate data project management and
arranged in rows and columns. communication.
- An expense reimbursement
➔ It is generally designed to hold numerical
spreadsheet is used to track
data and short text strings. Are highly
expenses owed by a company to its
flexible tools that can help you do everything
employees for travel, office supplies,
from generate reports to create budgets,
software payments, and more.
and anything in between.
2. Microsoft Excel: since 1987. Microsoft
Advantages:
Excel has become one of the most popular
• Set, track, and attain goals spreadsheet software options- offering a
wide variety of functions and features in
• Build a visual presentation of your
addition to different ways to visualize data.
data
3. Apple Numbers: A key factor that makes
• Plan for the future and improve
Numbers one of the best spreadsheet
your decision-making processes
software options is its clean, modern
EXAMPLE: interface.
Microsoft Excel, but other spreadsheet 4. Google Sheets: only requires a Google
applications exist as well. Examples include: account to access, offers real-time
collaboration capability, commenting, and
Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Works Spreadsheet,
version history to accurately track progress
Open Office Calc and Google Drive
between contributors.
Spreadsheet.
1. Jotform Tables: is an all-in-one
spreadsheet-database tool that lets you STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR THE SOCIAL
collect, manage, and share your data from SCIENCES (SPSS) a.k.a IBM SPSS Statistics, is
one centralized location. a software package used for the analysis of
statistical data. Although the name of SPSS
reflects its original use in the field of social
sciences, its use has since expanded into care, from the way healthcare providers
other data markets. measure performance to health outcomes
and patient safety.
Evidence-based-practice requires clinicians
and nurses to read literature that consists of • SAS is also playing a role in helping
quantitative research reports. understand disease states and identifying
strategies to commercialize treatments.
★ As a nurse, you will use statistics to
identify specific patterns in HEALTHCARE COMPANIES are able to
important signs and symptoms and cultivate cleaner data that is more complete,
be able to respond better to any consistent, and reliable. It also provides new
medical changes to your patient. ways to report and visualize data.
Using frequency charts or data
IN VIVO VS IN VITRO
sheets to document the timing of
medication given to patients is • In vivo refers to when research or work is
another way that nurses use done with or within an entire, living
statistics. organism. Examples can include studies in
animal models or human clinical trials.
How nurses use statistics in their Job
• In vitro is used to describe work that's
• Enhance patient care
performed outside of a living organism.
• Support evidence-based
Example: A study performed in vitro is done
nursing practices
outside a living organism. For example, in a
• Compare options for nursing
test tube or lab.
practice
• Healthcare has become more When a study is performed in vivo it can
complex and challenging include things like performing experiments
• Healthcare leadership in animal models, or in a clinical trial in case
demands knowledgeable and of humans. In this case, the work is taking
competent staff place inside a living organism
• Formal education is a
mandatory requirement to
become a nurse

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS SYSTEMS (SAS) are

one that has far-reaching benefits for the
healthcare industry, from insurers to doctors
and of course, the patients themselves.
• SAS healthcare software is pushing
healthcare analytics to new frontiers,
improving results across the spectrum of