The Ethical Issues in Nursing - Dissertation Example

Methodology For the production of a valid and comprehensive research, proper selection of methodology acts as an important device for synthesizing the research topic. From the point of Aveyard (2007) it is known that the application of appropriate methodology can guide the researcher as well as the readers throughout the journey of the research and will help them to come at interesting results. Research is basically bifurcated into two major divisions and they are quantitative research and qualitative research. The process of quantitative research is dedicated towards testing hypothesis; concentrate on the cause and effect relationships and arriving at certain predicted outcomes. In this study a specific number of variables are studied. The data used in the quantitative research are based on various measurements with the help of structured and validated data collection instruments. Quantitative study aims at identifying the statistical relationship between variables. This type of study is focused on a narrow lens and tailored for testing specific hypotheses. Statistical reporting with correlations, mean comparison and relying on statistical findings is the crux of quantitative research (Qualitative versus quantitative research, n.d.). The process of qualitative research is dedicated towards exploring issues, understanding the phenomenon of the topic of research. Subsequently it aims at answering questions. The process of qualitative approach occurs in an everyday basis and takes place in and around every workplaces and study environment. For executing qualitative research, the approaches that are utilized are mainly analysis of unstructured data which includes open ended survey questions, literature reviews, audio recordings and searching of web pages and databases (What is qualitative research, n.d.). Among them literature review is an indispensable part in research and in nursing research it is of high importance. Importance of literature review in nursing research A literature review can be referred to as a critical summary of research on a topic. It concentrates on the ways in which the researchers address a topic. Literature review is a critical summary addressing various useful approaches of research. Literature review occurs in two preliminary parts . The first part is in devising a search strategy and secondly identification of various kinds of resources that will suit the information required for addressing the research question. Secondary sources are mainly preferred which include books, reference books, journals, conference papers , government publications and so on(Performing a Literature Review, n.d.). In nursing, research carries much significance. In the recent years a majority part of them is reflected towards the changing perception of the nurse’s education. With research initiation the nurses have become more prone to research and have found out ways in the improving the quality care provided to the patients. From the studies of Hungler in 1997, research allows the nurses in questioning their practice finding answers and thus applying them in their respective areas. Literature review acts a way for making the current study into the context of what is known previously. From that the decisions associated with the particular type of tool application for the best outcome of the patients is known (The Importance of Research to Nursing, 2012). So in this paper the importance of literature review lies in the fact that they will be able to help us in exploring the ways of treating HA- MRSA and find out the most effective and optimal ways of reducing the spread of HA-MRSA. Critical Literature Review From the studies of Kyale in 1995 for the selection of proper methodology things like the role of validity, reliability and generalizability are questioned. Within the study of naturalistic dimension the the philosophy of reality validating knowledge has been generally eliminated. There has been a generation of confusion regarding the association of rationalistic as well as naturalistic dimension which is at times often very confused. Evolution of difficulties have generated because of the tendency to discuss the philosophical as well as technical issues regarding the same context. The philosophical issues associates with the questions of epistemology the technical issues flaunt the superiority as well as appropriateness and justification of research in association with each other. It can be said that the former is theoretical and the latter one is highly practical. There has been a long history and undeniable contribution to the qualitative research opponents of the methods generally dismiss the qualitative criteria which are deemed to be radical, non rigorous as well as subjective (Tobin & Begley, 2003, p.388). The attributes of language is regarded as the basis on which the philosophical beliefs are constructed and laid down for communication. With the variation in language within the philosophical perspectives one argument stands in the way that there is inappropriateness in transference of terms. The notion of values, beliefs, epistemology and ontology may generate a situation where comparison and semantic compatibility may not be possible to frame. This dimension has led to the development of a number of developments in qualitative branch of study mainly within the rigidness of research. An establishment of consensus on the criteria for the assessment of quality of a qualitative study can be said to be capturing an immense importance. The literature review will be helping in creating a rationale for the purpose of studying the effect of an innovative intervention directed towards correcting a particular problem. Burnard (2008) tried to explore various pedagogical practices for engaging students in facing challenges from poverty, class, religion as well as cultural heritage and gender. But in particular the researcher was interested in finding how the teachers engaged students who were disaffected. The uncertainties involved around the interpretation of previous studies also points towards justification of further research. As an instance it can be stated that prior research with schizophrenia patients indicated that the participants in several times continued to feel confused about their conditions as well as their treatment. Schneider et al. (2004) in a study the taken from the angle of the people with mental illness added to the perceptions of effective as well as ineffective relation with undertook a study from the perspective of people with mental illness to determine what contributed to their perceptions of effective and ineffective relations with professionals (Literature Review and Focusing the Research, 2012, p.91). Literature Review also helps in identifying flaws and loopholes in the previous researches with respect to its design, data, collection instruments, sampling as well as interpretations. From the studies of Borman et al in 2007 thorough study is executed on the success story of All literacy Program. After that they came up with the result that there have been no randomized control studies done on the effectiveness of the study. 3.2 Designing a research question The application of the literature review can be incorporated at the beginning of the study for the purpose of explaining and generating a rationale for the study planned by the researcher. Literature review also helps in the design of the study with the provision of guidance in appropriating sample size or of identifying robust data collection .A solid familiarity with the literature is highly essential in both qualitative as well as quantitative approach indifferent of the researcher’s paradigm. Every researcher who stands in the way of developing a literature review develops a critical eye. The critical eye points out towards the evaluation of the strength and weaknesses of the prior research. The missing elements from the formal body of scholarly literature which might be necessary for formulating appropriate research focus for the method of investigation. When the purpose is related to the planning of the research study the number of studies actually cited in the literature review may be fairly limited due to space limitations. This may also occur as the review is considered as a learning activity. Typically the primary research articles which are published in the journals generally contain 20 to 30 references as primary research. Critical evaluation of the literature review provides the primary inclusion criterion which is centrality of the topic. The application of the literature review helps in planning and conducting studies required for critical evaluation (Literature Review and Focusing the Research, 2012, p. 91). 3.3 Searching One of the most important tools which should be considered by the researcher is the ability to find as well as judge the work of the other scientists. The talents are developed in a dynamic way and can be expedited by a working knowledge of the process by which the internet databases can be used efficiently. For searching the relevant evidence for addressing the clinical questions generally require a focused search strategy of the peer reviewed professional literature. For assisting the professionals in keeping up with the literature and also in making it possible for quickly find the needed information without leaving the location. One of the most important online accesses is the MEDLINE which is premier scientific database provided by the National Library of Medicine which is available at no cost through the access in Pub Med. The Pub Med search allows in outlining the steps involved in the conduct of a PubMed search with the application of a traditional comprehensive PubMed search as well as the Pub Med clinical queries directs towards answering the important clinical question. Different case scenarios will be applied in the process of demonstrating the application of the skills which are involved. The journals will be also searched through the application of the components of PICO strategy. The acronym of the PICO strategy includes Patient or Population problem, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome. The PICO strategy is utilized in the identification of the key search terms. This can be done through navigation of the homepage of the PubMed home page. After that using the Pub Med filters and applying advance search features in the conduct of proper research. After that the applying the PubMesh database for finding indexing terms at the time of searching is useful. The next step will be in describing how the Boolean operators like AND, OR and NOT are combined in finding various search terms. After that discussion of the PubMed filters are used in finding the most probable levels of evidence. The subsequent procedure will be to explain the way in which the previous research queries will be used with the feature of advance search. The effective use of PubMed is directed towards finding proper evidences in answering questions with the application of PubMed features like MESH, Boolean operators, Filters as well as Advance Search History. The conduct of PubMed search using the Clinical Queries feature is also crucial. The process will be also incorporating the traditional method of PubMed search with the application of the Clinical Queries feature (Forrest & Miller, 2012, p.2). Several online bibliographical databases are also accessible on the internet can be viewed as a very important source of journal reference. The full text of an article in an electronic format can be mentioned as e-journals. The researcher are required to find out whether the institution can provide a user name and a password for gaining access to these databases and will be needed to look into data bases and need to look into various databases . It can be said that the single most significant resources required for the social sciences is that of the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) which encompasses around 1,700 major social science journals with the coverage of all the social science disciplines dating back to the period of 1970s. The databases can be accessed from the ISI Web of Knowledge home page. The database of SSCI directs towards the provision of references and that of abstracts as well as libraries which incorporate full text links for the articles from majority of the social science journals which are published on a global basis. It can be stated that it acts as an initial source in the literature search and if the searching in the database is effective then the researcher may be feeling the confident that majority of the recent academic journals that may have been published articles on the topic of interest (Getting started: reviewing the literature, 2012) .Thus it can be stated that the notion of literature review acts as a precursor of explanation of the crux of the topic and leads to the platform whereby particular rationale is provided for the planned study of the research. Along with that it can be also stated that the domain of literature review acts as a helping tool in the formation of the design of the study by acting as a guiding factor for the purpose of appropriation of suitable sample size or leads to the identification of promising data collection practices or instruments which can be implemented as a primordial variable in the study in question. 3.4 Selection, reviewing and critical appraisal Huge expansion in literature has led the researchers to face problem related to searching. The constraint makes it difficult and sometimes impossible in reviewing the articles for addressing particular clinical question when a large number of articles are available in the stock relevant to that same question. As a result the health providers, researchers as well as the policy makers felt the need for finding out standard and efficient method for summarizing the existing information for making decisions based on evidence. The decision of including and excluding articles depend to a great extent on the viewpoint of the author and the traditional review process does not take into account the methodological qualities of the studies. The presence of a systematic search strategy of the literature will include the important points in reaching different conclusions. The process of systematic review is a systematic search with the critical evaluation of the entire primary studies concerning a particular topic. Apart from that a meta-analysis is also essential in the mechanism of quantitative synthesis of all the primary studies dealing with same question and research design ( Abalas et al, 2001). From the studies of researcher Aveyard it can be stated that application of critical appraisal methodologies are essential in investigating the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the studies with utmost vigor for the purpose of collecting the most relevant as well as qualified information for addressing the research question. Some other researchers like Fowks, Fulton and Steward have incorporated the value of critical appraisal are the process of judging the worthiness of the results. In the year 2010, the Solutions for Public Health strongly recommended the critical appraisal tool skills program (CASP) which critically appraises the literature both qualitative as well as quantitative (Critical Appraisal Tools, 2012). Another process or tool of critical appraisal is the framework proposed by Bray and Ress which through critical analyses and reviewing of exercises can gain assertions as well as reflection in building up theories as well as evidences in inclining the health care practices. The process is also an important process for the purpose of assessing the credibility as well as the transferability of the studies and that of weighing the applicability into practices. 3.5 Thematic analysis and synthesis The process of thematic analysis is applied in the analysis of qualitative data in the field of primary research. It can be used in identifying systematically the main, recurrent as well as the most important themes centering on the concepts of multiple studies. It is primarily applied in the qualitative data but there have been arguments that this method can be also applied in the process of qualitative data or the data from the mixed method process. Basically the thematic analysis provides a means of organizing as well as summarizing the findings from diverse fields of research. It also works with and reflects directly the chief ideas as well as conclusions across studies rather than focusing on the development of new knowledge. However there are limitations. They may be associated with a lack of transparency. But this can be avoided by providing every detail about the process of conducting the thematic analysis (Popay et al, 2006, p.18). 3.6 Ethical Consideration The ethical issues in the nursing research are necessary for the development of an international consensus of ethical behavior in the process of research. At first the theoretical issues are reviewed and then the ethical conduct is defined followed by that protocol as well as procedure considerations are thoroughly examined (Olsen, 2003, p.123). References Performing a Literature Review, (n.d.).Available at: http://libguides.castleton.edu/content.php?pid=175459&sid=1478661 (accessed on December 1, 2012). Qualitative versus quantitative research, (n.d.). Available at: http://www.xavier.edu/library/help/qualitative_quantitative.pdf(accessed on December 1, 2012). The Importance of Research to Nursing, (n.d.). Available at: http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=122858(accessed on December 1, 2012). What is qualitative research, (n.d.). Available at: http://www.qsrinternational.com/what-is-qualitative-research.aspx (accessed on December 1, 2012). Read More