The Practice of Nursing Research - Assignment Example

Nursing research like any other research encompasses the content of quantitative and qualitative reports. This paper answers four questions about nursing research based on the Burns and Grove text

Question and Answer

1. Can findings from a single study be used to change practice? Provide a rationale for your response.

Yes, findings from a single study may be used to change nursing practice. Findings in most instances generate conclusions that reflect the current situation in the nursing field. According to Polit and Beck (2008), nurses are expected to use the most current practice, and for nurses to determine what the current practice is, they must read the research critically and if possible embrace the latest findings.

1. What is the difference between statistical and practical significance?

According to Polit and Beck (2008), statistical significance refers to the fact that the observed mean differences may not have been caused by sampling error. Statistical significances often occur even where very small population differences are observed if the sample size is large. Practical significance on the other hand examines whether the difference between the observed mean is large enough to be practical of a value or have a real meaning.

1.  Discuss which audiences nursing research findings should be communicated to, and what the mechanisms for communicating findings to a variety of audiences are.

Nursing research findings should be communicated to health visitors, senior nurses, midwives, managers, educators, researchers, advanced nursing students, and the whole nursing fraternity. The mechanisms that can be used to communicate these findings to them include; the use of journals, reports, posters, online databases, memos, and the implementation of policies.

1. What is a poster presentation? And how could you, as a student prepare a poster for presenting research findings at a conference?

Poster presentation in nursing is the art of conveying a message about findings from nursing research findings (Burns & Grove, 2009). This presentation is normally prepared after a nursing research abstract has been accepted.

In preparing a poster to be presented at a conference, the following steps need to be followed:

• Review the poster guidelines and pay keen attention to venue instructions, poster size, date and location, and times when the presenter should be present,
• Develop the poster using Arial or Times New Romans fonts,
• Make use of large fonts,
• Organize poster contents from left to right.
• Use fewer details in the poster
• Convey the message in a clear manner
• Transport the poster overnight and set it up before the conference begins.

Conclusion

In conclusion, nursing research is essential to the nursing practice and the healthcare fraternity as a whole. This is because it ensures that nurses offer the most current services and are able to change their practice from time to time to suit the changing needs of the world.