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Nursing Knowledge and Research > Quantitative Research > Flashcards

Quantitative Research Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a paradigm?

A

patterns of beliefs and general assumptions

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2
Q

Name some alternative terms for a paradigm

A

research traditions
world views
methodologies

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3
Q

name some quantitative methodologies used in nursing research

A

quantitative - positivism / post positivism

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4
Q

name 4 strengths of quantitative research

A

generalizability
description and prediction
objective
verifiable

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5
Q

name 4 limitations of quantitative research

A

context stripping
explanation needed too
value free observation not possible
absolute truth rarely established

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6
Q

what are the key features of quantitative research?

A

measurable
aims, objectives and hypotheses pre-stated
aim - broad statement
procedures standardised
outcome measures must be reliable and valid
results should be presented statistically

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7
Q

In quantitative research what is an objective?

A

specific detail (eg. research question)

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8
Q

In quantitative research what is a hypothesis?

A

predictions of what is expected to happen with a certain intervention

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9
Q

In quantitative research what is a variable?

A

factors that are being investigated

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10
Q

In quantitative research what is does validity mean?

A

research must measure what it intends to measure

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11
Q

What should the results in quantitative research aim to be?

A

falsifiable (hypothesis testing)
establishing causal relationships
establishing association between variables

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12
Q

what is at the top of the hierarchy of evidence in quantitative research?

A

systems reviews

metanalysis

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13
Q

what is at the bottom of the hierarchy of evidence in quantitative research?

A

ideas
opinions
editorials
anecdotal

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14
Q

Name the types of studies in order, from lowest to highest, on the hierarchy of evidence

A 
expert opinion
case series - case report 1
case series - case report 2
case control studies
cohort study 1 
cohort study 2
randomised control trial
metanylasis / systems review
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15
Q

describe the limitations of an expert opinion

A

high subjectivity
high bias / errors
little objective research
multiple opinions

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16
Q

describe the features of a case series (case report 1) study

A

descriptive study
less than 10 participants
performed due to rarity of condition

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17
Q

describe the features of a case series (case report 2) study

A

more than 10 participants
can’t compare with control group
good for pilot data collection

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18
Q

describe the features of a case control study

A 
observational study
conducted in retrospect
matched with a control
unable to attribute causation
control group doesn't have starting condition
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19
Q

describe the features of a cohort study 1

A

looks at associations between one entity and another - eg. smokers and non-smokers

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20
Q

describe the features of a cohort study 2

A

data collected prospectively

collect data you want

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21
Q

describe the features of a randomised controlled trial (RCT)

A 
prospective
intervention given
groups randomly allocated
outcome measured and compared
very powerful
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22
Q

In a RCT what is an intervention?

A

something we are doing to the participant

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23
Q

what happens in a RCT when the participants are randomised?

A

allocated to intervention or control group

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24
Q

In an RCT was is the attention arm?

A

similar to intervention arm but without active ingredient

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25
Q

what is a null hypothesis?

A

hypothesises that there will be no difference between the intervention and control arm - study must disprove this assumption

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26
Q

what is a dependent variable?

A

the outcome of interest (eg. wound healing time) - effect

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27
Q

what is the independent variable?

A

the intervention factor (eg. wound dressing used) - cause

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28
Q

During RCT recruitment what is the population?

A

target group we are interested in

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29
Q

What must the target group in RCT be?

A

clearly defined - gives criteria for inclusion in trial

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30
Q

What is inclusion and exclusion criteria?

A

included in trial

excluded from trial

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31
Q

what should a sample in a RCT represent?

A

The population as a whole

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32
Q

why must a sample in a RCT represent the population as a whole?

A

means data is reliable and generalizable to whole population

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33
Q

what is probability sampling and why is it used?

A

sampling designed to give unbiased sample

everyone has a chance of selection

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34
Q

name 4 types of probability sampling

A

simple random
stratified random
cluster
systematic random

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35
Q

what is simple random sampling?

A

random selection of everyone in population list

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36
Q

what is stratified random sampling?

A

populations put into groups according to characteristics (gender) and then randomly selected

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37
Q

what is cluster sampling?

A

random selection of larger units (hospitals) which participants are randomly selected from

38
Q

what is systematic random sampling?

A

random selection at predetermined intervals

39
Q

name 4 factors which affect sample size in RCT

A

population - similarity of population, expected ‘event ‘ rate, expected attrition rate (drop out rate)
design - higher number variables=larger sample
measure - how sensitive the measure is
practical - cost and convenience

40
Q

What is a power calculation in RCT?

A

calculation performed to assess resources needed to power trial

41
Q

with regard to randomly allocating trial groups in RCT what is simple randomisation?

A

‘tossing a coin’ usually done with random number tables

42
Q

with regard to randomly allocating trial groups in RCT why is block randomisation used?

A

to keep the numbers in each group close

43
Q

with regard to randomly allocating trial groups in RCT why is stratified randomisation used?

A

to balance chosen characteristics across the arms of the trial

44
Q

In RCT what is blinding?

A

concealing who is in which group (intervention or control)

45
Q

In RCT what is single blinding?

A

one person (usually participant) knows which groups they are in, but researcher does not

46
Q

In RCT what is double blinding?

A

neither participant or person assessing knows which group they are in

47
Q

In a RCT what is the primary outcome?

A

the main outcome of the study

48
Q

In a RCT what is the secondary outcome?

A

other outcomes that the study wish to assess, such as cost

49
Q

What 3 features must outcomes in RCT have to be appropriate?

A

Meaningful - crediable, meaningful and related to issue of interest
Measurable - amenable to dependable measurement
Responsive - change that occurs is demonstrated in outcome measure

50
Q

What should measurements used in RCT’s be?

A

valid and reliable

51
Q

why is reliability important in RCT’s?

A

addresses consistency of which an instrument measures attribute it is designed to measure

52
Q

what does validity in RCT’s do?

A

proves that the study measurement or assessment does what it intends to do

53
Q

what is internal validity in a RCT?

A

degree to which it can be inferred that the independent variable is responsible for the observed outcome

54
Q

what is external validity in a RCT?

A

generalizability - shows that results are transferable to other groups

55
Q

can you achieve external validity without internal validity?

A

no

56
Q

name 6 threats to internal validity

A

history - events happening outside study
maturation - change that happens over time
testing - change due to experience of test
mortality - differences in study drop out
selection bias - participants different to non-participants

57
Q

name 3 threats to external validity

A

selection effect - generalizability is affected due to ideal sample population being unavailable
reactive effects - response to just being in study
measurement effects - measurement and testing affects the generalizability

58
Q

what type of data is primarily collected in quantitative research?

A

numerical

59
Q

what are descriptive statistics?

A

ways of displaying and summarising quantitative data

60
Q

name 3 ways that numbers are used in data displays

A

numerical result - eg. BP, age, weight
coded category - eg. 1 =male, 2 =female
ordered categories - eg. 0 =no pain 10 = most pain

61
Q

name 4 levels of measurement and rank them in order of precision, most to least

A

ratio
interval
ordinal
norminal

62
Q

name 4 properties used to define the precision of measurement levels

A

different categories - all
categories ranked - ordinal, interval, ratio
equal distances between categories - interval, ratio
fixed zero - ratio

63
Q

what is a strength of displaying data in tables?

A

data from different variables can be viewed together

64
Q

what is a strength of displaying data in charts?

A

immediate visual impact

65
Q

name the measures of central tendency

A

mean, median and mode

66
Q

name the measures of dispersion

A

range
interquartile range
standard deviation
varience

67
Q

which levels of measurement be used for measures of dispersion?

A

interval and ratio

68
Q

which levels of measurement be used mode?

A

norminal, ordinal, interval, ratio

69
Q

which levels of measurement be used median?

A

ordinal, interval, ratio

70
Q

which levels of measurement be used mean?

A

interval, ratio

71
Q

why do we perform statistical analysis?

A

to draw inferences from the sample studied about population of interest

72
Q

name 2 approaches to statistical analysis

A

hypothesis testing - P values

estimation - using confidence intervals

73
Q

name the steps involved in hypothesis testing

A 
set null hypothesis
set study (alternative) hypothesis
carry out significance test
obtain test stats
compare test stats to hypothesised critical value
obtain P value
make decision
74
Q

what is a P value?

A

probability of obtaining study results if the null hypothesis is TRUE

75
Q

which numbers does the P value fall within?

A

0 and 1

76
Q

which number should the P value be closest to in order to reject the null hypothesis?

A

0

77
Q

at what % is statistical significance often set?

A

5%

78
Q

what should the P value be to show that there is evidence is present to reject null hypothesis?

A

less than 0.05

79
Q

what should the P value be to show that there is insufficient evidence to reject null hypothesis?

A

more than 0.05

80
Q

name the 2 types of errors that can occur in hypothesis testing

A

type 1 - false positive

type 2 - false negative

81
Q

what is the power of the study?

A

probability of being able to detect differences in the study groups should one exist

82
Q

what is the power of the study usually expressed as?

A

%

83
Q

what does the % given for the power of the study mean?

A

if study has 80% power, then there is an 80% chance of detecting a difference between study groups

84
Q

what are the limitations of using P values?

A

the only tells us how likely the results are if null hypothesis is true

85
Q

what are the advantages of using a confidence interval?

A

give information about effect size and clinical significance of results

86
Q

what is estimation?

A

a measure of precision with which the quantity of interest is estimated

87
Q

what are confidence intervals calculated for?

A

any estimated quantity from the sample data (eg. mean)

88
Q

what would a 95% confidence interval indicate?

A

the range of values within which the true population quantity would fall 95% of the time if study was repeated

89
Q

in quantitative research which terms refer to internal and external validity?

A

internal - validity

external - generalisablity

90
Q

describe a case control study

A

observational study conducted in retrospect and matched with a control

Nursing Knowledge and Research (2 decks)

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