Nursing - Critical Appraisal Article Writing Assessment Answer

Computer Science /IT -Nursing - Critical Appraisal Article Writing

Assignment Task:

Aim of the article

The article provides understanding on the experiences of the nurses in various settings from a registered nurse perspective. The researchers also state that nursing is one of the largest professions and recognized as having the key impact in healthcare services to patients as nurses participate in evidence-based practices within the organizational structure. Through the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) different items will be applied to critically evaluate the article as well as explore the complex issues faced by nurses in delivering evidence-based practices as well as qualitative studies. The article provides a survey research in nursing conducted by the Oncology Nursing Society addressing the opening based on the knowledge-to-practice in efforts to facilitate the value of nursing exercise. To understand the experiences of the nurses participating in evidence-based projects in institutional settings 12 registered nurses in an oncology setting participate in the completion of the project which was localized in an established organizational infrastructure for EBP (Fridman, & Frederickson, 2014). Additionally, the article incorporates participants who are registered nurses working in an oncology-focused academic medical center. Prior to the study, the research had experience or training having worked as an RN interacting with several research participants suggesting that a majority of the research participants had the notion or idea of the research issue prior to study commencement.

Domain 2: Study design

Research approach used

The transformation of healthcare requires the generation of current and high-quality research that can improve organizational operation as well as guarantee positive patient outcomes. The article is effective in evaluating the involvements of oncology medical practitioners that were involved in the project which happened at the institution with EBP structure. The article applies the qualitative research approach based on a descriptive phenomenological method and in-depth interviews done with each respondent (Fridman, & Frederickson, 2014). The justification for applying the research approach is based on the fact that qualitative research helps in providing descriptive data as well as understanding a phenomenal such as the nurses’ experience in context (Ingham-Broomfield, 2016). This approach is also beneficial as the method is seen to grow and has contributed to advancement in nursing knowledge. As such, it is important that the nurses understand this technique as it assists in handling patients. The topic of interest in this case demands better understanding which can only be achieved through the qualitative paradigm used. The qualitative research is also descriptive in nature and in most cases humanistic (Bergdahl & Berterö, 2015). As such, there are many ways which can be applied by the researchers in a manner that is self-conscious. The impact of the qualitative research method, therefore, promotes not just the knowledge but the discovery of new information which may not be gathered by the application of other techniques (Ingham-Broomfield, 2016).

Ethical Considerations

The article also has ethical considerations based on the fact that it applied in-depth interviews creating the need to have participant consent. The article is effective in implementing ethical aspects in research by seeking the permission of the participants in using the recorded audio before the interview. As such, during the process of uploading the audio, there was confidentiality protection. It is also important to note that none the individuals involved with the research were from the participant’s workplace. The article also takes precautions with the aim of protecting the confidentiality of the participant. This can also be referred to as the “convention of confidentiality” which ensures that no harm comes to the participants (Leininger, 2012). Further, this is a form of ensuring that the researchers uphold their ethics. Ensuring confidentiality during the beginning of the interview is important because it assists in building trust with the participants. This, in turn, ensures that the information offered is genuine and accurate as the participants have confidence in the process, as well as the individuals carrying out the process. The application of collection of audio from the participants is also significant in that there is less risk of misinterpretation of the information. Further, the use of this form of data facilitates accuracy, as well as trustworthiness, which leads to improvement of reporting (Bergdahl & Berterö, 2015).

Sampling

The article also demonstrates good data collection and sampling tools based on the approaches selected. For example, the sampling process was carried out using the snowball technique where the participants were given the responsibility of identifying other individuals who had the projects. This method was applied because it helped gather additional individuals to be engaged in the interview. This sampling technique is also used since it is likely that the participants know of other potential participants. As such, an interview which was impossible due to lack of participants is successfully carried out. Further, this technique is effective as it assists the interviewers to discover some features of the population that they did not know (Speziale, & Carpenter, 2011). This is often discovered during the interaction process. It may also be impossible to find some people required for the interview and only the society close to them would identify them. This, therefore, justifies the application of snowball sampling in the article as well as its effectiveness in achieving the research objectives. The participants were communicated to about the interview using emails. This method was used due to its convenience as the participant has the independence of time as well as place, and one can avoid noise disturbance. Further, this form of communication facilitates the interview process as the interviewers can connect with samples from any part of the world. Further, it uses lower administrative costs, and it is also considered to be a friendly gesture to the respondents (Michael et al., 2016).

The final analysis involved the interview of 12 full-time nurses (Fridman, & Frederickson, 2014). This is, however, was not the number of participants ready for the interview as two of them did not attend the interview. That position was arrived at as a result of saturation after the interview of 10 nurses. However, the other two attended the interview because they were already scheduled. The data based on the demographic details was also collected in the course of the interview. The participants were made of six nurses from the advanced nursing section, and six from the staff. The article also considers gender balance during the sampling process. For example, there were female, who were aged 27-58, and who possessed experience of between 5 to 39 years. Additionally, the approach is unbiased as the age limit provides a better chance of include participants from the age groups. The demographic data of the participants was collected during the interview with the aim of ensuring that the factors affecting the sample apply to the entire population (Latimer, 2013). As such, the information gathered is relevant not only for the sample but to all the people involved. The sample is taken to represent the population, explaining the importance of ensuring that the features of the population are a reflection of the rest of the population. The researcher kept a journal which was to enable him to identify bias that may be present. As such, he would ensure that this did not take place during the interview and hence no interference on the process.

Domain 3: Analysis and findings

Coding and Analysis

The section defines the approach applied in the research article to analyze data as well as present the research findings. In this case the authors demonstrates understanding on the positive impact of coding in research as the concept is maintained throughout the process by the researcher. Coding is important during qualitative data analysis since it enables categorization of the different data presented by the participants. This, in turn, assists in interpreting the phenomenon (Speziale, & Carpenter, 2011). Open coding is done where the data is presented in a way it makes sense. Further axial coding follows, where the various categories are linked. Finally, the selective coding is done where various categories of data are connected. When the coding process is complete, theoretical propositions are established which help explain what is happening according to the data. The authors in the article, however, did not explain the coding tree. The participants were, however, given the opportunity to give feedback. This was done with the aim of ensuring reliability of the information provided. Further, the validity, as well as the credibility of the information was only possible where the interpretation made by the researcher was made available to the participant. In this case, therefore, the participant gave feedback about the information given establishing whether the researcher gave the correct representation of data given.

Participant feedback

Participant feedback is important not only for the establishment of credibility and validity of the data, but also in determining the quality, as well as the usefulness and objectivity of the entire process of qualitative research (Munhall, 2012). Further, this provides the respondents a chance to evaluate whether the initial data is adequate in passing down the message. The participant is also able to confirm some specific details of the data provided. The respondent also gets the opportunity to summarize the findings which he had initially presented. The participant is also able to give additional information which may be as a result of stimulation done by listening or reading the initial data. The participant is also in a position to correct some of the errors which may be present as well as poor interpretations of the data provided. This, therefore, justifies the opportunity given to the participants to give feedback which is well exemplified in the article demonstrating its quality and consideration of research skills (Harris & Stamp, 2016).

Validity and Credibility of Research Results

During the identification of the themes present in the readings, as well as in the illustration of findings, some quotations were made from the respondents which provides the basis for evaluating the validity of the research conducted. While indicating the support received from the librarian, for instance, one participant says “You know it’s not obvious that a librarian would be doing it. So that’s a struggle at first.” A nurse is seen to indicate the support from EBP group where she indicates how humbled she is to be working as a team. She says “I can’t just drop this now.’ Another nurse in description of challenges in the work states that “I’ve never done any graduate work. I know very little about EBP, so I was intimidated.” While discussing the issue of empowerment, a nurse is quoted to say “What can I do differently?” Quotations from the participants of user-research are one of the major forms of the qualitative data. These are important because they provide higher credibility levels as they show the direct perspectives of the participants (Fridman, & Frederickson, 2014). These quotations show the accurate happenings during the interview hence the representation of unbiased information. Further, they represent the impressions, as well as the perspectives which are direct from the participants. This, therefore, justifies their application during the presentation of the study in the article.

In determining whether there was consistency between the data and the findings, the authors emphasizes on the rigor of the analysis. According to the article, the rigor is established in the qualitative research by evaluating the fittingness, credibility, as well as the auditability. Credibility refers to the truth, which is identified by the individuals participating in the research. In the article, we see the confirmation of the accuracy of the interpretations done by the researcher. This is done by the participants who also established the validity of the information by reading the descriptions which were made by the researcher (Michael et al., 2016). Credibility, on the other hand, was attained when the themes presented by the researcher were in accordance with those presented by the participants (Fridman, & Frederickson, 2014). Further, the credibility was established at the point where the participants were offered the chance to correct the interpretations presented by the researcher. Reliability, on the other hand, is established where the coders agree with the interpretations that are made of the text. This was done during the study where nurses who were qualitative researchers were given the chance to verify the coding, as well as the themes and the subthemes discussed in the research. The explicit examples which are provided for the reader are prove that the element of auditability. Fittingness, on the other hand, is obtained at the point where the doctoral peer readers are involved in the process of the data analysis. As such, it is safe to establish that the data and findings are consistent (Saifan, AbuRuz & Masa'deh, 2015).

The researchers also effectively demonstrates different themes that enhances understanding on the research problem primarily themes arising from the interview. They included support, something shared by many nurses indicating the support received in various ways and from different departments. The second theme is the challenges theme which indicated the problems encountered relating to time, resistance to change, as well as issues on knowledge. Evolution was the other theme which revolved around discovery, the expansion of boundaries, development of their professional levels, as well as discovery. Empowerment was another theme where the status quo was covered, as well as the establishment of making difference in the care of the patients. Analyzing data is one of the most challenging tasks during the qualitative research. Minor themes are also discussed, including integrated essential essence, as well as EBP group context. As such, it is important to establish a way of classifying this data in a simpler and more understandable way (Holloway, & Wheeler, 2013). This explains the importance of identifying the themes represented by the participants in the data. The themes are also important because they examine, point out, and emphasize on the patterns that are identifiable in the data. This helps in establishing the general feelings or opinions on a particular issue. This, therefore, explains its application in the article.