Research Flashcards
Name two types of research
- Quantitative
- Qualitative
Define qualitative research
Qualitative involves meaning, opinion, attitudes and beliefs, seeking deep information, answering complex questions, social understanding
Define quantitative research
Quantitative involves numbers, proportions, statistics, testing hypotheses, looking at cause and effect
Define validity
The degree to which a study accurately reflects or assesses the specific concept that the researcher is attempting to measure.
- Produces an outcome that reflects the aims.
- Substantiation based on what will happen in the future
- Includes an element of judgement
- May be an element of reality bias
Define reliability
The extent to which a measure, procedure or instrument yields the same result on repeated trials.
- Consistent replicable outcomes
- Substantiation due to past experience
- Uses objective variables
- Minimises judgement
- Aims to avoid “bias”
Describe the difference between interventional and observational research
Interventional (active) - the intervention is under the control of the researcher
Observational (passive) - the researcher observes patients at a point in time (cross-sectional studies) or over time (longitudinal studies). These can be done by looking forward and gathering new data (prospective) or if the data already exist – backwards (retrospective).
Epidemiological studies can be classified as descriptive, interventional or analytical.
Rank these terms in order of sophistication.
Order of sophistication:
Interventional > Analytical > Descriptive
Define ethics
The application of moral rules and professional codes of conduct to the collection, analysis, reporting, and publication of information about research subjects, in particular active acceptance of subjects’ right to privacy, confidentiality, and informed consent.
List the 6 principles of ethics
Principles of ethics:
- Research should be designed, reviewed and undertaken to ensure integrity, quality and transparency
- Research staff and participants must normally be informed fully about the purpose, methods and intended possible uses of the research, what their participation in the research entails and what risks, if any, are involved.
- The confidentiality of information supplied by research participants and the anonymity of respondents must be respected.
- Research participants must take part voluntarily, free from any coercion.
- Harm to research participants must be avoided as far as possible. This includes publishing studies that have not “worked” or harm has been done. (Malevolence).
- The independence of research must be clear, and any conflicts of interest or partiality must be explicit. Having an independent review of the research is good practice.
Research involving 8 criteria must legally be considered for ethics committee review.
List these criteria
Criteria:
- People who lack (or lose) capacity to give informed consent to take part in the research
- Processing of confidential patient information without consent where this would otherwise breach confidentiality.
- Using material that does or did contain living cells.
- Patients who are cared for in private and voluntary sector nursing homes and/or residential homes
- Exposure to ionising radiation
- Testing medical devices that are not CE-marked, or those which are CE-marked and have been modified.
- Investigating medicines
- Practicing midwives
List 11 ways of putting ethical principles into action
11 ways of putting ethical principles into practice:
- Honesty
- Objectivity
- Integtrity
- Carefulness
- Openness
- Have respect for intellectual property
- Confidentiality
- Responsible publication
- Social responsibility
- Competence
- Legality
Define prevalence
The number of cases of a disease in a given population at a designated time
Define incidence
The number of new cases of a disease in a given population during a specific time period
