Research Article Critique Presentation: Nurse Satisfaction in Magnet Hospitals - Essay Example

Critical Appraisal Nursing Support, Workload, and Intent to stay in Magnet, Magnet Aspiring, and Non-Magnet Hospitals of Institute Date of Submission Author’s Note Critical Appraisal Nursing Support, Workload, and Intent to stay in Magnet, Magnet Aspiring, and Non-Magnet Hospitals By: Susan R. Lacey, Karen S. Cox, Kathleen C. Lorfing, Susan L. Teasley, Cathryn A. Carrol & Kathy Sexton Introduction: The study revolves around the Magnet Recognition Program which provides a draft for setting a work environment for nurses so as to enable them to be true partners in care. The study was aimed at analysing the factors of support, workload, satisfaction and intent to stay in nurses working in hospitals that are employing magnet recognition program, are aspiring to employ the program and also in hospitals having no intention of opting for this program. The study made use of Individual Workload Perception Scale for the analysis and made use of nurses from 15 institutions from 11 states and belonging to 292 diverse units under consideration for the study. Results of the study went on to show that nurses in the hospitals employing the magnet program had better scores over all while nurses working in the ones aspiring to employ the magnet recognition program had better scores still than the ones working in non-magnet hospitals which went on to show that the program is actually valid in meeting its intended goals. The study also suggested that the individual workload perception scale is an effective tool to be used in similar settings. Critique: Strengths and weaknesses of the study: In terms of the strengths of the study, it can be seen that the aims of the study are very explicitly defined and the study is employing a large sample of over 3000 registered nurses for the analysis and that too from 15 institutions, 11 states and 292 diverse units. The sample size has been specified as a strength because its large number serves to reduce variation in its results and increases its chances of the results of the study being possible more generalizable and accurate than the results of the study with small sample sizes. In addition to that, the inclusion of nurses from various geographical regions and also from numerous diverse units adds on to this aspect of the results. It does also give an insight to the direction in which the Magnet Recognition Program is being considered on part of the nurses and hence, gives us an effective outlook on the broader impact of this program. In terms of the weaknesses however, it can be observed that the study is not relating the findings or the background of its context to the already present literature on the subject matter. Along with that, the study states that the sample is convenience based and is basically based on a secondary analysis of an on-going data base that collects demographics of the nurse participants. This can possibly be considered as a weakness because the accuracy and reliability of the database cannot be validated by the researchers of this study themselves and there has been no direct relationship or interaction of the researchers with the participants. Plus, because the study was done during the period of 2003-2005, despite the fact that there were no major changes in the industry during that period, there could however be minor variations and progression in the industry unaccounted for or overlooked by the study. In terms of the data analysis, it can be said that it is not as sufficiently rigorous as it could have been. The study also fails to take into account any sort of contradictory data. The researchers also fail to acclaim their own role, influence and/or bias during the selection and/or analysis of data. The study also despite having defined the analysis of the Individual Workload Perception tool as a credible tool to be used in such settings fails to shed much light in this domain. Theoretical and methodological limitations: When it comes to qualitative studies, it is of utmost importance that the study is theoretically coherent and methodologically congruent to the study aims. In this context, the study should be compatible with the knowledgebase of the subject matter. Plus, the assumptions, procedures and the analysis approach and tools employed should be coherent with the theoretical basis of the study. In terms of methodological congruence, the documentation of the participants should be detailed and also clear in terms of the rationale for their selection in the sample population. In addition to that, the procedural approach should be given specific attention and ethical standards should also be met (Nursing Research, 2012). In terms of theoretical or methodological limitations, we see that the researchers do not justify their research design in terms of how and why they decided to use the research methods that they used for example, the employment of the Individual Workload Perception Scale for the study has not been justifies. Other than that, the documentation of the participants is lacking in terms of the rationale for the selection of the participants. Other than that, the study is actually coherent and logically consistent. It can be questioned however if it is compatible with the other studies in this domain as no literature has been provided in this context. Other than that, although to testing the applicability of the Individual Workload Perception tool in similar studies has been mentioned as one of the objectives of the study, however no empirical insight into this aspect has been given as such specifically speaking. Evidence of researcher bias Researcher bias occurs when the researchers fail to take into account all the variables or when they pick up participants that are more likely to produce the desired results (Shuttleworth, 2009). The factor of researcher bias is a major issue when it comes to qualitative research. This in turn serves as a hindrance to the generalizability of the study findings because of the fact that there might be a segment of population that would not have a representation in the selected sample and hence, the results of the study would not be the true representative of the whole population. Overview of the study shows that there are implications of researcher bias to some extent in the context of selection bias in this study. Selection bias occurs when the manner for the selection of the sample from the study population to form the group of subjects for the study which might not be a true representation of the sample population as a whole. The reason for this in case of the study at hand is that the researchers have picked up the data of participants from an already established and under progress database implying convenience sampling. The database alone cannot be relied upon to be the true representation of the facts and this is where the bias on part of the researchers comes in. Along with that, they also fail to acknowledge this aspect of the data collection as a limitation/implication of researcher bias. Ethical and legal considerations related to the protection of human subjects Ethical issues can be present in all sorts of research areas. The ethical issues in the domain of qualitative research however are different from the ones in quantitative research. Issues in qualitative research being more people focused mainly revolve around the concepts of relationships and interactions between the researchers and the participants of the study. As people themselves in their natural environments are involved in these types of studies hence an awareness of the ethical issues concerned with the subject matter of the study is crucial for the study in order for it to be acceptable. The ethical issues in qualitative research can be primarily related to either the participant/researchers relationship or the researchers’ interpretation of data or the design of the study itself (Oab, Eisenhauer & Wynaden, 2001). When it comes to this study, a major issue in regards to ethical considerations can be the fact that as the study employing secondary information from an already established and progressing database for the analysis, it can be implied that the study does not mention taking the participants of whom the information from the database is being taken for this study are being taken into the loop. So, there is a chance that the participants might be unaware of their information being used for this particular study. As little or no primary participant background has been given by the researchers there is little proof available for the readers to assess its ethical credibility. Relationship between theory, practice, and research While doing any research it is imperative that its context be coherent with the theory that it is focused upon and is applicable in the practical context while adding some value to the already present literature available its subject matter through its findings. If the research is without theory then it would likely end up with discreet data which would ultimately fail to add value to the knowledge of the discipline. All these aspects are what weave the facts of the study together (Nursing Theories, 2011). In this particular study that was assessing the aspects of workload, support and intent to stay, the focus was more on the comparative analysis of these factors in nurses from Magnet, Magnet aspiring and non-Magnet hospitals. The study is consistent when it comes to the flow of the research, gathering information from a large and diverse sample and then analysing the data gathered in context of the differences in magnet, magnet aspiring and non-magnet hospitals. Even though the theoretical aspect of the study is a bit lacking because of the fact that it cannot be taken as an empirical research in the domain of its subject matter, it can however be taken as an initial step towards verifying the inclination of the actual results in this case. It would have been better had the research been backed by some literature already present on this subject matter or if the study discussed some entities in more detail for example, why is it that the results are as they are. It is however, much effective in defining to what extent are the differences present in the nurse perceptions of basic work requirements among the magnet, magnet aspiring and non-magnet hospitals and which facilities have differences in the nurse support, work load and intent to stay etc. more significant than others. Nurse’s role in implementing and disseminating research Research plays a critical role in the nursing profession for the continued improvement and betterment of the nursing practice. In nursing research, as is the case with any field of study, the biggest challenge is to address to what use would the research be put in, how it is to be disseminated and what lessons are to be gathered from the research so as to then implement the requisite changes in the current structure. In any study first the idea, then the communication channel, the time and lastly the social system are the deterministic factors influencing the process of the implementation and dissemination of research and all of these factors vary from one case research to the other (Alberta Association of Registered Nurses, 1997). In case of the study at hand, it can be said that for its effective dissemination and implementation, the findings of this research would further have to be built upon to come up with more empirical evidence of its findings. Because this particular study suggests that the scores of nurse perceptions of basic work requirements are higher for hospitals having implemented the Magnet Recognition Plan than the hospitals that have not done so, hence if further research is carried out in the context of why the program is or is not being adopted or what exactly are the challenges stopping the hospitals from adopting this program, then it would give a much broader insight into this subject. Even though the study is suggesting positive impacts of the program on the nurse’s perception of their work environment, but without the consent of other nursing professionals the hospital authorities, the implementation of these findings, in other words the Magnet Recognition Program is not possible. How the study provides evidence for evidence based practice As the study is a comparative analysis of the nurse perceptions of the basic work requirements in three clinical settings of hospitals with Magnet Recognition Program, aspiring to have a Magnet Recognition program or have no intention of having this program, hence, the study is basically an evidence based research. The study derives its findings from analysing nurses from 15 institutions spread across 11 states and belonging to 292 diverse units. The study derives its results from the ANOVA outcomes of the data information. It backs its results by the outcomes of IWPS tool that showed that the hospitals of with the Magnet Recognition Program scored better with the value of P as 0.000. Along with that, the study gave the evidence that the mean scores of the Magnet operating facilities were better than those of the hospitals aspiring to adopt that program and also went on to verify that the scores of the magnet aspiring hospitals were better than the scores of hospitals that did not have that program. Conclusion: The conclusion from this critical analysis of the study can be drawn from various fronts. First of all it can be verified that the main strength of the findings of this study lie in the fact that it is employing a large sample from population, and that too from a diverse backgrounds. The study also quite effectively give an insight into its set objectives of analysing the nurse’s perception of work requirements in the Magnet, magnet aspiring and non-magnet hospitals and helps to identify that the Magnet Recognition Program is actually going in favour of most of the nursing population. The weakness of the study however lies in its time period restriction and the fact that it is not relating the findings to the literature on the subject matter. Also, the study is relying on the secondary data and there is no direct relationship between the researcher and the participants. This can also bring into context some of the ethical considerations in terms of the willingness of the participants to take part in the study. There are also inclinations of researcher bias in context of selection bias in the study. Other than all these factors the research is fairly consistent and coherent with its objectives. Despite some of the limitations in the study, it does effectively bring to light the impact that the Magnet Recognition Program is having in the clinical settings. These findings can further be made use of in context of other literature present on the subject matter. There is also a lot of potential to further build upon its research method and findings. References: Alberta Association of Registered Nurses. (1997). Nursing Research Dissemination and Utilization: A background paper. Retrieved on 25 March 2012 from http://www.nurses.ab.ca/pdf/nursing_research_dissemination_and_utilization.pdf Nursing Research (2012). Evaluating and Critiquing Nursing Research. Retrieved on 25 March 2012 from http://nursingplanet.com/Nursing_Research/critiquing_nursing_research.html Nursing Theories. (2011). Nursing Research and Theories. Retrieved on 25 March 2012 from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/research_and_nursing_theories.html Orb, A., Eisenhaur, L. & Wynaden, D. (2000). Ethics in Qualitative Research. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 33(1), 93-96. Shuttleworth, M. (2009). Research Bias. Experiment Resources. Retrieved on 25 March 2012 from http://www.experiment-resources.com/research-bias.html Read More