The Impact of Nursing Shortage upon the Healthcare Industry - Research Paper Example

? Methodology Chapter 3: Methodology This chapter provides a detailed outline of the proposed research study design and expands on the elements of such design, with a particular focus on the research approach to the proposed study. As regards methodology for this study, the researcher considered interviewing health care professionals but rather used the survey technique. Methodology in research studies refers to the principal method of data collection. The methodology is presented in order to explain how the material was gathered and selected for in-depth consideration (Cargon, 2007). Evaluation Methods and Tools The research to be carried out will seek to identify the effects of the shortage of nurses on the health sector. Different studies were conducted in the past concerning the possible causes of the increasing shortage of nurses and the impact on the quality of health services provided to the patients. This research will intend to gather the opinions of nurses and doctors with respect to the surging pressure resulting from the declining numbers of nurses. It becomes evident that the number of nurses offering care to patients is declining over time for various reasons. Some of these reasons include low salaries accorded to nurses, and the increasing requirements of nursing practice. Other researchers have attributed the decline to the lack of favorable working conditions, the rising demands of aged people requiring health care, and availability of other career options. The research hopes to rely on data collected from 85 participants who will describe their opinions as answers to the questionnaires. For this research to be a success, there is the need for the researcher to determine specific methods that will be used in evaluating the data collected from filled-in online questionnaires. Data evaluation involves both the process of collection and that of analysis (Blunch, 2008). SPSS is one of the software products available in the market, which is critical in analyzing data from questionnaires. It has the potential to analyze and validate data from questionnaires, so it will be the data collection method used in this search. Since SPSS can analyze multivariate factors, it has a lot of validity as an effective tool in this research. I will expect data highlighting different factors, and I can rely on it to analyze the various responses from participants in my research. Reliability and validity. Three procedures in data evaluation will be used and include metadata preparation, data validation, and model preparation (Boswell & Cannon, 2011). The use of SPSS will offer a level of integration between validity and reliability as the tool helps the researcher analyze data effectively irrespective of how many variables exist. The SPSS software enables readers and other related parties to be certain of the undertaken research and gleaned information. Therefore, it is essentially a reliable and valid tool to deliver updated information concerning health issues and ascertaining the extent to which some of those issues may be hibernating to cause an unprecedented harm. The approach is reliable in aiding researchers to acquire certainty in medical and nursing procedures, thus ensuring validity of the accrued findings. It is a valid tool to guarantee accuracy and evidently proven researches. The essence is that the software diminishes any chances of perforation of information and data while enabling researchers to engage in advanced experiments to solve vital health issues. The coefficient values will be also calculated using SPSS. This explains why this tool will be of immense help in this research. The fact that SPSS can assist in performing all these tasks proves its reliability and validity. After data evaluation, the researcher will come up with graphical representations of the results and correlation values making it easy to draw conclusions (Polit & Beck, 2013). The software guarantees the safekeeping of data in different versions and ease in accessibility. Therefore, it is the most prevalent and necessary tool for surveying and amassing data to enhance efficiency in the health industry. Maintenance of Data Integrity It is critical for a researcher to maintain the integrity of data collected from participants. This implies that research data should remain unaltered and interpreted correctly throughout all the procedures of research. Therefore, maintenance of data begins as soon as data is obtained from the participants. Failure to maintain the integrity of data can lead to serious implications. One of the implications is the fact that errors often lead to wrong results and ultimately false conclusions. In other cases when data loses its integrity, bias emerges and unreliable findings are the result. The sole goal of every researcher is to produce reliable results and findings that can influence nursing practice. This is especially the case because of the nobility and criticality of the nursing profession in society (Cargan, 2007). Therefore, this compels researchers to be wary of anything that could compromise the integrity of the data they collect. These are the compelling reasons ensuring that critical steps are taken in maintaining the integrity of data collected from the survey, so that the quality of this research is not compromised. It is worth noting that data is the most crucial part of research because is determines whether the research question receives adequate addressing in a scientifically accepted way (Polit, 2010). It is socially and academically wrong to draw conclusions from compromised data, and this is the additional reason why any researcher would do the best to maintain data integrity. Data integrity is usually compromised by human error during compilation and recording, or as transfer of data from certain hardware to another occurs. In other cases, computer viruses may compromise data stored in different hardware. Moreover, research data should stay away from unauthorized personnel who may interfere with its integrity. There are several ways of ensuring that a researcher can maintain data integrity in all the procedures pursued in the research (Moule & Goodman, 2009). The researcher will make sure that data entry and compilation personnel strive to achieve high proficiency and accuracy in protecting data. In this specific case, data will emerge from online questionnaires, and instances of human error may occur as filled-in questionnaires are compiled. Moreover, it will be ensured that all data storage devices are safe and that copies are available in cases of unforeseen occurrences. Moreover, unauthorized personnel will not have access to the collected data. Research Design This research is an analytical cross-sectional study. This research will give attention to two factors simultaneously. The researcher is seeking to examine factors that contribute to nurse shortage, and the potential detriment it causes to the quality of health services delivered to patients (Mitchell & Jolley, 2013). The study will focus on participants from one hospital with a random picking of the participants. The sample selection is very critical, as it will determine the validity of the conclusions likely to be drawn in the end. The representative sample will provide a virtual snapshot of the situation in many hospitals. Therefore, this study focuses on getting a snapshot of the effect of nurse shortage in a city hospital. As mentioned above, the sample size is also of crucial importance as it should be large enough to reveal the real situation within the selected population. In the intended research, the sample size will be 85 participants, with 10 of them being administrators and 75 nurses. The third critical factor in this cross-sectional study will be the method of data collection. In this case, questionnaires will be tools for collecting data, a method of data collection that conforms to the cross-sectional research design because the contact of multiple people is possible. It will be important to avoid bias by strategizing on how to get participants to fill in questionnaires. Research Methods After a critical analysis, it has been decided to use online questionnaires as a preferred method of collecting data. These questionnaires will contain both closed-ended and open-ended questions and will describe opinions without limitations. The design of the questionnaire will attempt to make it easy for respondents to fill in with simple, concise, and clear questions (Czaja & Blair, 2005). Open-ended questionnaires will prove effective in this research, especially in motivating respondents to highlight their personal opinions concerning a situation. Online questionnaires will offer practicality. Practicality in this case implies that they are realistic data collection tools that do not consume much time compared to interviews. Moreover, it will be possible to access many participants with online questionnaires (Baker, Reynolds, & Woods, 2007). In addition, questionnaires prove to be standardized tools of data collection since all respondents fill in a similar questionnaire, and this will ensure that the research does not have any bias. Moreover, online questionnaires will be easy to analyze with data evaluation tools such as SPSS (Pallant, 2010), and it is more practicable to attain the research objective with the help of questionnaires. In addition, the fact that the research will use online questionnaires presents a new set of benefits. One of the critical benefits is that less time will be consumed in the survey because everything occurs online without the bulkiness experienced with paper questionnaires. This also implies that expenses will be minimal because paper and printing costs do not feature in this case (Baker, Reynolds, & Woods, 2007). Distribution of these questionnaires will take place online, eliminating postage and distribution costs. Moreover, with online questionnaires, the researcher is assured of a higher level of accuracy and ease to analyze the collected data. For the researcher and her expected respondents, there will be a level of convenience with online questionnaires because of the selectivity and flexibility. Respondents will experience a higher level of comfort because they do not face the pressure from the researcher’s presence (Kothari, 2005). On the other hand, it will be practicable to recheck and confirm the participants easily and even modify the questionnaire content appropriately. Participants in the Research There will be 85 participants in this research selected from one city hospital. The selection process will involve identification of about twelve medical facilities. These facilities must possess a renowned reputation in the services delivered to patients, and they must have experienced the surging problem of nurse shortage. Only a few members of the staff from this medical facility will participate in the study, with 10 being administrators and 75 nurses. The participant selection will be a random exercise depending solely on individual willingness. All the participants selected must have experienced the situation of nurse shortage first-hand and possess a defined opinion about the problem. As required by research policies, each participant will give their consent to a voluntary participation in the research without compulsion and coercion (Shamoo & Resnik, 2009). All the 85 participants will describe the impacts of nurse shortage on the quality of medical services delivered to patients in hospitals. They will also highlight other linked implications for the healthcare industry, including accuracy and speed of diagnosis and the level of personalized care offered to patients. The 10 administrators and 75 nurses will be in the age bracket of 30–40 years and possessing 10–20 years of experience in the health care industry in a prominent city hospital. The participants selected will also share other opinions and culture such as a strong belief in the need for innovation, improved healthcare procedures, and a drive to offer the utmost care they can afford to patients (Shamoo & Resnik, 2009). Moreover, they should be individuals striving to achieve proficiency and accuracy in their diagnosis and results as well as promptness in provision of health care. Importantly, the participants will be those who possess computer skills. Obtaining of Permission For this research to become a possibility, it is critical to acquire permission from different individuals and boards (Shamoo & Resnik, 2009). Of great importance is the informed consent sought from all the participants and respondents in the research. This serves to ascertain that all the participants agreed to offer feedback voluntarily without any form of compulsion or coercion. Moreover, the informed consent highlights the factors that bind the relationship or contact between the participant and the researcher. The institutional review board should also give its consent after ascertaining that the research design, methods and procedures are up to the required standard and realistic. It is also essential to seek permission from organizations captured in the research. Finally, the National Institutes of Health should give consent to the research. Conclusion In order to obtain valid data, there is a need to use the most effective research methods while maintaining integrity of the data obtained. The research design is also a critical part of the research because it determines the portion of the population from which the participants are chosen. For this research to prove successful in addressing the research question, it is crucial that the researcher develop an appropriate research design, a reliable sample size, and a good choice of participants. 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