Quiz 1 - Practice questions Flashcards
Why should the registered nurse practicing nursing at the bedside be concerned about research for the delivery of quality nursing care?
A. Research provides the nurse with knowledge needed to make sound clinical decisions.
B. One study can change nursing practice dramatically.
C. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires all nurses to be consumers of research.
D. Traditional nursing care is no longer appropriate for twenty-first century nursing.
A. Clinical decisions should be based on knowledge about patient outcomes, not just tradition. Practice should never change on the basis of just one study. The Joint Commission regulates health care settings, not the practice of nursing. Much of “traditional” practice has been found to lead to positive patient outcomes
Why should the average consumer of health care be concerned about nursing research?
A. Research provides evidence that nursing care makes a difference.
B. The nursing profession needs to define its place in the health care system.
C. Accrediting agencies must determine how best to use the technology needed to provide nursing care.
D. Nurses must justify the cost of their services for reimbursement purposes.
A. Nursing is accountable to consumers when they can demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of nursing care. Options B and C focus on the nursing profession, not the consumer, and therefore do not answer the question. Nursing research builds knowledge about effective nursing interventions, as well as the cost-effectiveness of nursing care.
The nurse in an intensive care unit is engaged in nursing practice that is evidence based. The nurse recognizes which sequence of steps that will culminate in evidence-based practice?
A. Evaluate, act, appraise and assess, gather, and ask
B. Appraise and assess, act, ask, gather, and evaluate
C. Ask, gather, assess and appraise, act, and evaluate
D. Gather, ask, evaluate, act, appraise and assess
C. The correct sequence of steps involved in the process of evidence-based practice consists of ask, gather, assess and appraise, act, and evaluate.
To be important to nursing practice, nursing theory must be supported by what?
A. Educational environment
B. Nursing research
C. Patient outcomes
D. Expansive body of science
B. Although nursing research cannot prove or disprove a theory, it can support the theory. Nursing theory arises from clinical practice and has been developed by both practitioners and educators. Because theory cannot be tested directly, patient outcomes cannot directly support theory. Theory is part of an expansive body of science.
A nurse researcher is searching for the purpose of a study in a research report. Where is the most likely place to find the purpose in the report?
A. At the end of the research design section
B. At the end of the literature review section
C. At the end of the sampling section
D. At the end of the conclusion section
B. The purpose of a study is usually located at the end of the researcher’s introduction or at the end of the literature review or conceptual framework section. The purpose of a study is usually not located in the research design section, sampling section, or conclusion section.
The best way to determine that a research study met ethical standards is by locating information showing what?
A. The reliability and validity of each measure were discussed.
B. The data analysis procedures are thoroughly discussed.
C. The study was approved by an institutional review board.
D. The sampling techniques used were discussed.
C. Approval of the study by an institutional review board ensures that the study met ethical standards. Although discussion of the reliability and validity of instruments, the procedures used for data analysis, and the sampling techniques used is important, it does not indicate that the study met ethical standards.
The nurse researcher wants to summarize several studies that focus on early detection of ovarian cancer. The nurse intends to use specific statistical methods that will allow conclusions to be drawn by the focus area. In this case, the best systematic review to choose would be what?
A. Meta-analysis
B. Integrative review
C. Meta-synthesis
D. Meta-summary
A. A meta-analysis summarizes a number of studies focused on a topic using a specific statistical methodology to synthesize the findings in order to draw conclusions about the area of focus. An integrative review is a focused review and synthesis of either research or theoretical literature on a particular area that follows specific steps of literature integration and synthesis without statistical analysis and can include both quantitative and qualitative articles. A meta-synthesis is the synthesis of a number of qualitative research studies on a focused topic using specific qualitative methodology. A meta-summary is the synthesis of a number of qualitative research studies on a focused topic using specific qualitative methodology.
How does a researcher critically read for preliminary understanding?
A. Through copious note taking
B. Through skimming
C. Through repeated reading sessions
D. Through reading aloud
B. Preliminary understanding is gained through skimming the material. Preliminary understanding is not gained through copious note taking, repeated reading sessions, or reading aloud.
For which research question would qualitative methods be most appropriate?
A. Which pain medications decrease the need for sleep medication in elderly patients?
B. What is the meaning of health for migrant farm-worker women?
C. Under what conditions does a decubitus ulcer heal most quickly?
D. How does frequency of medication administration affect the degree of pain experienced following knee replacement surgery?
B. Option B seeks to explore a phenomenon (health) for a specific population. Option A seeks to understand a cause-and-effect interaction between the use of pain medication and the need for sleep medication, making it a quantitative study. Option C seeks to discover a cause-and-effect interaction between treatment and speed of healing, making it a quantitative study. Option D seeks to discover a cause-and-effect interaction between medication administration and the degree of pain experienced, making it a quantitative study.
The nurse is attempting to locate the legal-ethical issues of a qualitative research study. The best place for the nurse to look for this in the study is where?
A. Discussion section
B. Procedure section
C. Design section
D. Sample section
B. The legal-ethical issues of a study are usually included in the procedure section of the report.
The best strategy for a nurse researcher to use in order to read a research study critically is to do what?
A. Read the study through once very thoroughly B. Use a research text to clarify unfamiliar terms C. Underline the study’s findings
D. Use the abstract to select the parts of the study needing closer perusal
B. A research text is an excellent resource for clarifying unfamiliar terms. Multiple readings are necessary for a critical understanding of the study. Although underlining critical components of the study may be useful, the study’s findings are easily located in one section of the report. The abstract can provide only a general overview. The entire report should be scanned before closer scrutiny of specific parts.
For a nurse to use research appropriately, he or she must do what?
A. Examine a research study and follow the researcher’s recommendations.
B. Read many studies in the same content area and follow the recommendations of the studies with similar findings.
C. Explore the strength of the evidence available.
D. Replicate studies in their own settings to make sure recommendations are contextually appropriate.
C. It is important to determine all evidence available and the strength of the evidence before changing practice. Practice decisions should never be made on the basis of one study alone. Studies in the same content area may not represent the best knowledge in the area. Nurses do not need to replicate studies before making practice decisions.
A nurse reads a research article and asks other graduate students to study the same article using the same criteria. The nurse is most likely using which stage of the critical reading process?
A. Preliminary understanding
B. Comprehensive understanding
C. Analysis understanding
D. Synthesis understanding
C. Analysis understanding occurs when the nurse asks fellow students to analyze the same study using the same criteria and compares results. Preliminary understanding includes strategies such as listing key variables and highlighting new terms. Comprehensive understanding includes identifying the main theme of the article. Synthesis understanding includes summarizing each research step in your own words using critiquing criteria.
What can a nurse researcher determine by reading the abstract, introduction, major headings, and conclusions of a study?
A. Relevance of the study to nursing practice
B. Appropriateness of methods used
C. Need for further study
D. Study’s main theme
D. The main theme of the study can usually be determined by reading these major parts of the report. The relevance of the study can be found in the introduction and background of the report. The methods should flow from the scientific background and research question. The need for further study is identified by the body of evidence available in the area and the findings of the study.
How can a nurse researcher achieve a comprehensive understanding of any research report?
A. Skim the entire report for a general overview.
B. Study the abstract to learn the main components of the study.
C. Seek assistance for unclear content.
D. Review the conclusion to link the content with the research question.
C. To understand a study comprehensively, it is important to clarify all areas of content that are not clear. Skimming the report leads to an overall understanding only. The abstract can provide only an overview of the study. All parts of the research process need to be understood.
What is an accurate description of a critique?
A. It requires some knowledge of the subject matter.
B. It is the process of creating standards used to judge an article.
C. It is an executive summary of a study.
D. It is conducted for the purpose of explaining the link between theory and application.
A. A critique requires knowledge of the subject matter and knowledge of how to read an article critically. A critique requires the use of previously set critiquing criteria and standards. An executive summary is a detailed summary of a large amount of data. A critique is conducted for the purpose of objectively evaluating all aspects of a research report.
What must a nurse researcher do before beginning to analyze a study?
A. Synthesize the material
B. Comprehensively understand the study
C. Apply recommendations to practice
D. Read other similar studies
B. Comprehensive understanding is necessary to analyze and synthesize the material. Synthesis of the material cannot occur until after the study is analyzed. Application of the material should not occur until after the study is analyzed and synthesized. It is not necessary to read other studies to analyze a new study.
What is the most accurate term for making patient-care decisions on the basis of research findings?
A. Critical reflection
B. Evidence-based practice
C. Applied research
D. Research implications
B. Evidence-based practice means making patient-care decisions on the basis of available evidence. Critical reflection is the process of thinking critically. Applied research tests the practical limits of descriptive theories but does not examine the efficacy of actions taken by practitioners. Research implications are the future actions suggested by the study findings.
When does the strength of the scientific evidence available influence changes in nursing practice?
A. Studies in the area have used quantitative methodology.
B. All studies in the content area show similar results.
C. Each study uses small, highly controlled samples of subjects.
D. Selective bias is built into the research design.
B. Replicating studies and obtaining similar findings increase the validity of the findings. Qualitative studies can provide evidence that changes practice. Although controlling confounding variables improves the reliability of data, generalizability can be enhanced by the use of larger, more representative samples. Bias decreases the strength of the evidence
An experimental study in which subjects were randomly selected is an example of what level of study?
A. Level II
B. Level IV
C. Level VI
D. Level VII
A. Experimental studies yield Level II data. Nonexperimental studies yield Level IV data. A single descriptive or qualitative study yields Level VI data. The opinions of authorities or experts yield Level VII data.
Which phrase would be found in a report of a qualitative study?
A. “The hypothesis of this study is ______.”
B. “Perceived pain was measured using the Abbott pain scale.”
C. “The control group received no instruction.”
D. “Subjects were asked to relate their perceptions of pain.”
D. Data collected were perceptions of pain, not numeric data. A study with a hypothesis is a quantitative study. A study that collects numeric data is a quantitative study. A study with a control group is a quantitative study.
Which phrase would be found in a report of a quantitative study?
A. “A convenience sample was chosen.”
B. “The phenomenon studied was _____.”
C. “Data were analyzed and interpreted.”
D. “Researchers sought to explore the meaning of the hospital experience.”
A. When a sample of convenience is chosen, the study is a quantitative study. Qualitative studies explore phenomena. Data collected in qualitative studies are “interpreted.” Qualitative studies explore the meaning of human experience.
Which study title indicates use of qualitative methodology?
A. Comparison of Nursing Assessment Techniques in Hospitals and Home Care Settings
B. The Relationship between Numbers of Errors Made and Educational Preparation
C. The Effectiveness of Patient Teaching Pre- and Postoperatively
D. The Experience of Mother-Child Bonding in Inner-City Populations
D. Qualitative studies explore the meaning of human experience. Quantitative studies seek differences among variables. Quantitative studies collect numeric variables and test relationships. Quantitative studies seek to explain cause-and-effect interactions.
The nurse is critically reading a research study and writes cues, the relationships of concepts, and questions on a photocopy version of the study. This would most likely be included in which step of the critical reading process?
A. Preliminary understanding
B. Comprehensive understanding
C. Analysis understanding
D. Synthesis understanding
C. Analysis understanding consists of writing cues, the relationships of concepts, and questions on a photocopy version of the study. Preliminary understanding consists of listing key variables and highlighting new terms. Comprehensive understanding consists of identifying the main idea or theme of the article. Synthesis understanding consists of summarizing the report, including strengths and weaknesses, in the nurse’s own words.
