Chapter 1: Frameworks Flashcards
Clinical research is essential to inform…
clinical judgements
organization and economics of practice
What is the importance of engaging in collaborative and interprofessional efforts?
As researchers and clinicians share the responsibility to explore complex theories and new approaches and to contribute to balanced scientific thought and discovery.
What is clinical research?
The structures process of investigating facts and theories and of exploring connections, with the purpose of improving health.
It is a systematic way to examine conditions and outcomes to generate evidence for decision-making.
What are the 3 types of clinical research?
Patient-oriented research
Epidemiologic and behavioral studies
Outcomes research and health services research
What is patient-oriented research?
Studies are conducted with humans to improve the understanding of the mechanisms of diseases and disorders.
It looks at what therapeutic interventions will be most effective in treating them.
What are epidemiologic and behavioral studies?
Observational studies that are focused on describing patterns of disease and disability as well as preventative and risk factors.
What are outcomes research and health services research?
Studies used to determine the impact of research on population health and utilization of evidence based therapeutic interventions.
What is the qualitative approach?
It strives to capture naturally occurring phenomena.
Its philosophy is that the only way to understand is through an individual’s experience.
Measurement may be based on subjective information that can be observed using focus groups and interviews.
The purpose of the research may be to describe the state of conditions, explore associations, form a theory, or generate hypotheses.
What is the quantitative approach?
It is based on the philosophy that human experience is assumed to be based on logical and controlled relationships among defined variables.
It involves numerical data under standardized conditions.
It puts subjective information into an objective numerical scale.
The advantage of this approach is the ability to summarize scales and to subject data to statistical analysis.
The scientific method is founded on what 2 assumptions related to the nature of reality?
- Nature is orderly and regular and that events are consistent and predictable.
- Events or conditions are not random and have one or more causes that can be discovered.
How is the scientific method defined?
A systematic, empirical, and controlled critical examination of hypothetical propositions about the associations among natural phenomena.
Define the systematic part of the scientific method.
Implied logical sequence that leads from ID of a problem, through collection and analysis of data, to the interpretation of finding.
Define the empirical part of the scientific method.
Refers to the necessity for documenting objective data through direct observation, thereby minimizing bias.
Define the control part of the scientific method.
Controlling factors are not directly related to the variables in question, perhaps the most important characteristic.
Define the critical examination part of the scientific method.
Researcher must subject findings to empirical testing and to the scrutiny of others
What are the steps in the research process?
- ID the research question.
- Design the study.
- Implement the study.
- Analyze the data.
- Disseminate findings.
Describe step 1 of the research process: ID the research question.
Involved delimiting the area of research and formulating a specific question that provides an opportunity for study.
Requires a thorough review of scientific literature to provide a rationale for the study, justification of the need to investigate the problem, and a theoretical framework for interpreting results.
The researcher must define the type of individual to whom the results will be generalized and the specific variables that will be studies.
Research hypotheses are proposed to predict how these variables will be related and what clinically relevant outcomes can be expected.
Describe step 2 of the research process: Design the study.
Researcher designs the study and plans methods of implementation.
The first consideration is who will be studied and how subjects will be chosen. All measurements and interventions must be carefully defined so that outcomes will be reliable and valid, and the methods for data analysis are clear.
It is submitted to an institutional review board (IRB) for review and approval, to assure that ethical concerns are addressed.
Describe step 3 of the research process: Implement the study.
Researcher implements the plans designed in steps 1 and 2.
Researcher may conduct pilot studies before beginning the full study to confirm that measurement methods and procedures work as expected.
Describe step 4 of the research process: Analyze the data.
This step involved analyzing, interpreting, and drawing valid conclusions about the obtained data.
The researcher must reduce and collate the information into a useful form for analysis, often using tables or spreadsheets to compile “raw data.”
Describe step 5 of the research process: Disseminate findings.
Researchers have a responsibility to share their findings with the appropriate audience so that others can apply the information either to clinical practice or to further research.
What is a scientific paradigm?
A way of looking at the world that defines what kind of questions are important, which predictions and theories define a discipline, how the results of scientific studies should be interpreted, and the range of legitimate evidence that contributes to solutions.
What does EBP represent?
The fundamental principle that the provision of quality care will depend on our ability to make choices that are based on the best evidence currently available.
