Evaluating the Relationships between Nurses and Residents in Nursing Homes - Research Paper Example

ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF A PUBLISHED RESEARCH PAPER By (Student Name) Subject: Professor: University/Institution: Location: Date: Student Name Student ID Title: Whether the title is a reflection of the content Yes No Rationale for answers The study title was formulated with precision while clearly reflecting the subject matter of the researched area. The title also highlighted the approach of the study preparing the reader on what to expect while reviewing the study (Bryman, 2015) Abstract: Whether the abstract summarizes the key study points Yes No The abstract of a qualitative research summarizes the content of the sections of a research paper. Usually, the abstract should be written at the conclusion of the research and provides the reader with a more insightful view of what the study is about as well as the approach (Lynch, 2014). The authors of this article presented the abstract in an acceptable format highlighting the key sections using sub-titles with precise and concise explanations of what is discussed under the sub-sections. The authors provided a brief background of the study, stated the research design, and summarized the research methods used in the study, provided the results in brief, and highlighted the relevance of their research to the field of the study as required by the guidelines for writing an abstract. Literature Review: Whether the literature reviewed is comprehensive and current Yes No This study lacks a section on literature review with no published evidence of what the authors know about the area of study. In addition, the authors failed to provide evidence supporting their approach to the research problem leaving the reader with questions whether there is supporting evidence that warranted this study. According to Burnard (2004), the authors of a qualitative research paper should provide a systematic approach outlining how the literature review was done including the searching process of the articles. Moreover, the authors did not provide any critical commentaries on the studies that they referred to in the course of their research provided as expected by literature review guidelines. The authors should group relevant research and cite them in a standardized way showing any similarities of the studies with methodologies and study findings (Burnard, 2004). Aim/ purpose: Whether the researchers clearly stated aim of the study Yes No The author needs to clearly state what the study is aiming at or describe the research questions guiding the study. This allows the author to reflect back at the conclusion of the study to assess whether the study aim was realized or not (Berger, 2015). The authors of this study clearly stated what the study sought to achieve thus affording the readers an opportunity to appraise the article in regards of realization of the set aims. The aim for this study was exploration of the relationship between nurses and residents of nursing homes in Spain. Ethics: Are all the ethical issues identified and addressed? Yes No Rationale for my answer including the ethical issues identified or not identified The researchers were granted ethical approval by the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos’ Clinical Research Ethics Committee as well as permission for recording all interviews. Moreover, they ensured the study respondents consented freely to the study and were allowed to withdraw from the study based on their free will. The participants in this research were labeled using codes and their identities withheld to improve confidentiality. The components for ethical consideration have remained consistent over the past years (Bryman, 2015). The broad consensus regarding the specific issues involved in ethical considerations as shown below. In the first place, the research shouldn’t demand for anything unreasonable from participants. In addition, respondents should consent freely without coercion to participate in the study. Moreover, voluntary participation without coercing or pressurizing the respondents amounts to good ethical practice. Participation in the research should not cause an adverse consequences including harming the respondents and finally, the researcher should ensure confidentiality is upheld (Ritchie et al., 2013). Hence, the researchers identified all the ethical issues and adhered to them as provided for by qualitative research guidelines. Methodology/Study design: Is the methodology /study design identified and justified? Yes No State the methodology/study design used and the evidence based reasons why you think it was a suitable choice The study adopted a qualitative study design as set out in the title of the research with the use of the Giorgi proposal. This facilitated the exploration of the study phenomena which was the relationship between nurses and residents within its context namely nursing homes using data from various sources (Baxter and Jack, 2008). Data analysis in qualitative research relies on data collected through observation, open-ended interviews, as well as data from written sources. In addition, qualitative researchers conduct naturalistic inquiries, investigating settings in the real world in an inductive manner thus generating rich descriptions with thematic analysis based on the recurrence of patterns in those narratives (Patton, 2005). The researchers therefore used an appropriate methodology for this study, since it generated descriptive narratives of the relationship between nurses and residents in nursing homes and the analysis of cases contributed to a well understood perceptive of the existing relationships. Furthermore, the design was suitable because it does not rely on the size of the sample as the case is with quantitative approaches since the former produces meaningful results with much smaller groups of samples (Holliday, 2007) The researchers also justified their use for the qualitative phenomenology study design by affirming the researchers’ role in the process of research that engages the researcher intimately in the process of data collection to evaluate the research problem. Moreover, the researchers noted the importance of the researcher interacting with participants of the study to document accurate qualitative data thus affording mutual influence. The above observations qualify the qualitative design as the most appropriate design for answering the research questions under this study. Research Question: Does the researcher identify what the major research question they set out to answer was? Yes No Describe (in your own words) what problem the researchers identified and how they set out to answer their question? The researchers broadly sought to evaluate the relationships between nurses and residents in nursing homes. However, this does not specifically identify what the research sets out to investigate. Scanning through the entire article reveals no specific study question that the researchers sought out to answer. Nevertheless, the researchers set out a research problem that entailed the exploration of the relationship between the nurses and residents of nursing homes in pain. There was no clarity on the potential starting points for the literature review due to lack of a clear question that would guide the reader in evaluating the contents of this research. A clear research question guides the researcher in evaluating available evidence in the search for answers of the identified research problem (Bradshaw and Stratford, 2010). Context of the Study Is the context of the study outlined? Yes No In your own words outline the context of the study e.g. how the site and /or participants were selected The research was conducted amongst residents of Spanish nursing homes and the respondents who were selected in two separate phases. The first phase comprised of information gathering from the residents whereas a theoretical framework was utilized in the second phase whereby in-depth sampling was done and face to face interviews conducted. The selection of the sample was through the nurse managers of the nursing homes involved in this study. Recruitment /Sampling Is the recruitment of selection of participants described? Yes No In your own words outline how the participants were recruited and what sampling strategy/s were used Sampling is the process of selecting a pre-established number of cases from a defined population. The researcher should establish his or her study population before selecting a sample to use in the research (Jha et al., 2010) Non-probability samples include participants are who meet a criteria preset by the researcher based on its relevance to a research problem that he/she seeks to address (Burns, 2012). The researchers used non-probability sampling method since the approach requires the selection of a sample with precise attributes, which in this study the attribute, was residents in a nursing home in Madrid Spain. The guiding principles for the determination of the size of non-probability samples do not exist and the size usually depends on the data collection process which stops at a point when the researcher begins to observe no new data being collected, referred to as the saturation point (Francis and others, 2008). Purposive sampling is a technique for non-probability sampling whose objective involves randomly choosing cases from a pre-defined population to establish a sample upon which statistical inferences can be made (Creswell, 2013). Qualitative studies target the identification of cases with rich information regarding a particular research subject thus allowing the researcher to gain understanding of an important issue hence the term purposive sampling (World Health Organization, 2004). The researchers wanted to gain information from the residents of nursing homes in Madrid Spain hence their use of purposive sampling technique was ideal. Data Collection: Is the method of data collection well described? Yes No Describe in your own words how data were collected Qualitative research focuses on providing descriptions and clarifications of various experiences occurring in the lives of people. Researchers who rely on qualitative approaches obtain information that serves as a proof for their condensed descriptions as well as qualitative data, which is obtained as a spoken word or written descriptions but not as numbers. The approach relies on observation, interviews with respondents, review of artifacts and documents as data sources (Daymon and Holloway, 2010) Data collection involved in-depth interviews with respondents using both unstructured and semi-structured open-ended questionnaires that followed two phases clearly described by the researchers. Interviews constitute an established method for collecting data during qualitative research studies, which requires the researchers’ understanding of their appropriate use. Researchers should develop questions that adequately contribute to finding a solution to the identified research problem allow for consistency when asking all the respondents selected to participate in the study (Doody and Noonan, 2013). The interview guide was designed and the researchers administered it during the face-to-face sessions with the study participants. The questionnaire included questions about various aspects on the relationship between nurses and residents of nursing homes including the broad relationship, the nature of communication, nursing staff turnaround, and interaction between the nurses and residents of the nursing homes. Data handling involved transcribing or taking notes during the interview, and observations. Despite the fact that transcribing is time consuming, it provides the opportunity for reviewing and clarifying the answers obtained from the respondents.. Data Analysis Was the data analysis rigorously conducted? Yes No Give reasons for your answer using evidence to support your statement. Qualitative data analysis enhances the understanding of a phenomenon using information collected from respondents thus making the description of the phenomenon. The process entails assigning data labels and codes for recognizing any similarities as well as dissimilarities in the data. There is no preset system for coding information hence the researcher establishes his/her own suitable method to identify, label, and code gathered information for ease of analyzing the content. Content analysis involves categorizing behavioral or verbal data that allows the researcher to classify, summarize, and tabulate data (Ritchie et al., 2013). Coding data requires researchers to examine the collected information while segmenting into specific themes that enhance the interpretation of a given phenomenon. The researchers used the Giorgi Method, which has four steps that involves reading the entire descriptions for purposes of generating sense from all the statements followed by a second reading that helps the researcher in the discrimination of the meaning of units relevant to the study phenomenon. This is followed by the researcher evaluating the meaningful units in a more direct way and finally synthesizing and transforming all the meaningful units into consistent statements. Findings Are the findings presented in a way that is appropriate and clear? Yes No Briefly discuss the implications of these findings for nursing/midwifery practice and/or patient care? Include a discussion about transferability of the findings The study identified the following two themes as having impact on the relationship between nurses and residents in nursing homes in Madrid Spain namely “Meeting the nursing home nurses” and “managing relationships with the nursing home nurses.” Theme: “Meeting the nursing home nurses” The researchers identified adequate quotes from the participants to support this theme that expound on the inevitable need to establish working relationships with nursing home nurses. Residents view the process of establishing relationships as a necessity since the nurses are the only ones available within the set up and one needs to get along with them. The residents also emphasized that sincerity was a motivating factor for them to establish a relationship with the nurses. However, some residents felt that nurses were just relating to them simply because they needed to get paid hence they were doing their job thus underscoring the establishment of quality relationship with them. They also noted the huge workload that occasionally made it impossible for them to interact with the nurses as the case should be for quality relationships. Theme: “Managing relationships with the nursing home nurses” There are adequate participant quotes provided to support this theme safe for the descriptions provided by the researchers. The researchers noted how the residents come up with strategies for justifying or managing their relationship with nurses while trying to influence the treatment they receive from personnel. The residents reported they had no choice apart from having a relationship with the nurses whether they liked it or not. In addition, the residents expressed preferences for some staff who they easily get along with and affirmed their fears of not wishing to have a bad relationship with the nurses. The residents also reported some views which the nurses view positively including self hygiene, good manners, providing assistance to other residents and mediating conflicts amongst residents. Some residents expressed their reservations for failing to be confrontational bearing in mind they stand to gain nothing from such behavior. Notable however, the researchers developed a narrow spectrum of the themes that do not adequately describe the nature of relationships between the nurses and residents of nursing homes in Madrid Spain Discussion Is the discussion comprehensive? Yes No In your own words briefly summarize the discussion The key themes identified in this study included The presentation of findings determines the researcher’s approach to discussing the said findings. If pure data is provided during the presentation of findings without any linkages to available evidence, then it is essential for the researcher to support these findings using available evidence. Such discussions should only focus on the findings arrived at by the researcher with no speculation on the meaning of those findings. The researcher should discuss the findings based on facts without straying from the limitations of the study (Burnard, 2004). The researchers discussed the findings in accordance with the themes set out in the study findings. They also provided supporting evidence from supporting literature to support their arguments in a comprehensive and coherent manner. Limitations Are the limitations discussed? Yes No Briefly discuss the limitations of this study both those identified by the authors and any other that you consider important There are no limitations discussed under this study. Conclusion Is the conclusion comprehensive? Yes No Briefly summarize what the authors’ concluded The researcher concluded that there is need for residents to build meaningful relationships with nurses in nursing homes since they are the primary caregivers who are a part of their new world. In addition, residents utilize various strategies to manage their relationships with nurses and perceive the adjustments as being very essential survival tactics that help them in everyday living, acquisition of certain privileges and the avoidance of confrontations. The researchers further concluded that reflection on the nurses and residents’ relationships enables caregivers to the benefit of fostering a positive relationship with the residents of nursing homes. Similarly, reflection has potential benefits in bettering the nursing homes’ management. REFLECTION Briefly discuss the overall quality of the research based upon this appraisal The researchers used over twenty references to support their arguments raised in this study, however, majority of the references used in the second part of the discussion that focused on “managing relationships with nursing home nurses were totally outdated thus raising concerns on their reliability to support the authors’ arguments. The first paragraph shows that interaction of the residents with nurses does not necessarily mean they have meaningful relationships. In fact, the authors further elucidated the perception of the residents that the nurses relate with them basically because they need to be paid and that is their work which they have to do. These arguments are supported by sufficient evidence in the subsequent paragraphs detailing previous studies that affirm the authors’ arguments. The fourth paragraph reveals that nurses are the key drivers of the relationship between them and residents in nursing homes by initiating socialization through communication. This is further supported by existing literature presented by the authors. The second part of the discussion focused on “managing relationships with the nursing home nurses” and the authors argued that the residents come up with strategies that help them in managing or justifying the relationships they have with nurses in nursing homes as they try influencing the personnel’s perceptions of them. However, this argument is supported by literature dating as far as 1990 thus raising questions on whether there is current evidence to support the authors’’ argument Discusses some of the key findings of the study in paragraphs 1 + 2 but does not discuss how these findings fit within the existing literature in the field. The study’s conclusion summarized the key findings arrived at by the researchers while giving a suggestion for caregivers to practice reflection the relationships they have with residents in nursing homes for quality improvement purposes. Overall quality Average – This is based on the various issues that are outlined in the sections above Discuss how the appraisal process has broadened your understanding of assessing the quality of published research. The process of reviewing this research article has enriched my knowledge in qualitative research methods and deepened my understanding of the appraisal process. I have further learned to appreciate various aspects that improve the quality of a qualitative research paper. REFERENCES List the references you used to support your statements above using Harvard style Baxter, P., Jack, S., 2008. Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers. Qual. Rep. 13, 544–559. Berger, A.A., 2015. 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