Frequently asked questions in nursing research
Nursing plays a crucial role in the provision of quality healthcare. Nursing research is a discipline that involves research aiming to improve patient outcomes, enhance nursing practices and contribute to more knowledge within the field. An effective nursing research demands in-depth understanding of the various topics and areas of research, the characteristics of what would be described as a good research topic, and the ability to formulate research questions that would address challenges and effectively contribute to the advancement of nursing as a profession.
What are the areas of research in nursing?
Nursing research is a broad field that covers different topics and areas of research. The areas of research are categorized into five main parts. These include the clinical research, educational research, health services research, social and behavioral research, and nursing theory research. Among these, clinical research which focuses on ways to maximize patient satisfaction, and health services research that focuses on access to healthcare and how it can help attain patient satisfaction are both critical.
1.Clinical Research
Clinical research entails studying interventions, treatments, and disease management strategies that help improve the well-being and health of the patients. It focuses on applying the research findings to patient safety, care and outcomes to determine the effectiveness of these strategies. In addition to testing productivity, the research further determines what factors influence patient outcomes, how nurses can effectively manage specific conditions like diabetes, and how they can optimize their interventions to improve patient safety. To ascertain this, various different methods are utilized in clinical research.
| Method | Procedure |
| Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) | This method requires assigning patients to different test groups to compare the effectiveness of different interventions. |
| Observational studies | By collecting data on patients overtime, you can identify factors that would impact health outcomes either negatively or positively. |
| Qualitative research | Qualitative research will typically focus on using interviews and focus groups to assess the experiences and preferences of patients and nurses. |
Clinical research is not only important in advancing nursing as a practice, but also as a profession by providing information that nurses can use to make better informed decisions on patient care. Moreover, the research also provides information on how different interventions can reduce healthcare costs.
- Health Services Research
For patients to receive quality healthcare, the system and the institutions must be easily accessible and efficient. A research on the health services can help investigate the organization, and financing of healthcare services, as well as evaluate the diverse healthcare services. The purpose of this research is to determine ways to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and accessibility of healthcare for patients and the wider community. The research enables nurses to define how access to healthcare services can be improved, the factors that contribute to high cost of healthcare and any means to reduce them, and the factors that influence patient satisfaction. Health services research is conducted and supported by use of different methods.
| Method | Procedure |
| Cost effective analysis | Entails evaluating the cost of services against different interventions and benefits. |
| Policy analysis | Entails assessing the impact of healthcare policies on the services offered and patient safety. |
Focusing on health services research as an area of nursing research is important because of the following reasons:
- Nurses can research on ways to reduce the cost of healthcare services without reducing the quality of healthcare.
- The knowledge gained on this area of research can help make informed decisions on healthcare policies that will result in better productivity of the services provided.
- It can help to improve the quality of healthcare services through evidence-based practices.
Other areas of nursing research that are equally as important comprise educational research which examines nursing practices, curriculum development, and student learning. This area of research equips nurses with the necessary practice and knowledge on how to be more effective in the healthcare setting. Besides, social and behavioral research examine the social and psychological factors that impact patient well-being, whereas nursing theory research is essential in developing and testing theories that make the foundation of nursing practice and research.
What is the best topic for nursing research?
Different areas of research in nursing will demand the use of different topics, all which can be generated depending on what hypothesis you want to test. Moreover, a good nursing research topic can be evaluated based on whether it has some of the aspects that characterize a great nursing research topic. For example,” evaluating the effectiveness of a Nurse-led transitional care program on reducing hospital readmissions for patients with Heart failure” can be considered a great research topic due to the following reasons:
- The research topic is feasible as the research can be conducted within a healthcare setting where the readmission data is easily accessible and can be analyzed.
- The topic complies with ethical principles such as patient autonomy, the research will involve human participants and consent can be obtained.
- The topic displays clinical significance. The high readmission rate for heart failure patients makes the disease both common and expensive while reducing these readmissions is a primary goal for healthcare systems because it will improve patient outcomes and decrease healthcare costs. The topic shows that the research will consider both patient concerns and overall healthcare goals.
Still, it is important to note that there is no single topic in nursing research that would be considered great over all the others, it depends on whether the researcher’s topic has considered these characteristics among others.
How do you select a research problem in a nursing field?
Although there are different steps in a research process, determining the research problem is one of the crucial steps. Different factors including conducting a literature review and engagement of experts can help you select a select a research problem in a nursing field. Conducting a review on the existing literature will help identify gaps, inconsistencies and areas that require further investigation, whereas exploring existing theories and conceptual frameworks within nursing is important when establishing areas that require empirical testing. Additionally, engaging with different experts such as healthcare professionals, nurses, and patients to understand their perspectives is pivotal in determining potential research problems. Lastly, to select a research problem you also need to observe and identify recurring challenges and areas that require improvement in a nursing practice or a clinical setting.
What are examples of clinical research questions in nursing?
Health services and clinical research which are among the areas of research in nursing include different research questions that guide the researcher on how to test hypothesis. For instance, when focusing on clinical research, research questions are essential in determining what hypothesis the research is testing and will also assist the researcher verify if the objectives of the research have been met.
Some examples of clinical research questions in nursing research include the following.
- Does a specific intervention improve medical patient outcome?
Of any available interventions such as new medication, therapy, and nursing practices, this question will help you research on which is the most effective as part of the research objectives.
- What are the factors that can influence patient outcomes?
Factors such as mortality rate, standard of life and duration of stay in a hospital may impact the overall outcome of a patient. This research question can be used to investigate and ascertain which of these factors can affect patient outcomes.
- How can nurses manage specific diseases effectively?
Every research is guided by the objectives the researcher wishes to accomplish. If one of the objectives is to find out ways nurses can manage diseases effectively, this research question can be useful.
- What are the patient experiences in regard to their health conditions and treatments?
This question would include investigating different factors that impact patient experiences such as what may cause shorter or longer hospital stays for patients.
- How can nurses optimize their interventions to improve healthcare?
This would include focusing on how nurses can improve communication with patients from different cultural backgrounds for example.
It is important to note that the questions in a clinical research in nursing are not limited. Rather, they are set based on the objectives and the hypothesis of the research. The number of objectives will determine the number of questions required to evaluate those objectives.
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What are the characteristics of good nursing research topics?
There are different topics that you can choose from while implement a research in nursing. However, there are various aspects that would characterize a topic as good. They include the following;
- Clarity
The research topic should be well defined and focused on a research question that is specific and answerable within the available resources and time frame.
- Field Significance
The topic should show potential in making meaningful contribution to nursing. The research findings should be useful and crucial to improve patient care, safety and health policies. The topic should be easy to understand and clearly addresses existing gaps that you are trying to investigate.
- Feasibility
The topic should reflect a study design that will fit the research question. The researcher should have the necessary expertise to conduct the study within the available resources and time frame.
- Ethical consideration
The topic should consider all the ethical principles that have been put in place
Summing up
In conclusion, nursing research is important and plays a major role in advancing nursing as a practice and improving patient outcomes. The research conducted in nursing is however quite diverse. Therefore, understanding the different areas of research and how to select the best topics that are the cornerstone of a good research contributes to improvement of healthcare delivery and creation of new knowledge. We have services that we offer to nursing students and they include nursing homework help online and online nursing assignment help service for those nurses that might require a nursing tutor for more advanced professional help.