NURS 4000 Research Study Comparison: Quantitative vs Qualitative – Walden

Research Study Comparison: Quantitative vs. Qualitative

NURS 4000, Section 14, Research & Scholarship for Evidence-Based Practice

Research Study Comparison:  Quantitative vs. Qualitative

Humans are born with a natural curiosity about life, wanting to know the who, what, why, when, and where.  All of these questions lead us as adults to seek out answers by way of research. “We just love to know the answers to things, even if there’s no obvious benefit” (Stafford, 2012).    “Research is purposeful investigation, aimed at finding out things we did not know” (Lambert, 2012, p. 12).  Research studies can be quantitative or qualitative in nature.  Quantitative research is “research that uses numbers to obtain precise measurements” (Schmidt & Brown, 2015, p. 15).  Qualitative research is “research that uses words to describe human behavior” (Schmidt & Brown, 2012, p. 15).  For the purpose of this assignment, I will compare the findings of a quantitative research study to that of a qualitative research study.

articles.

Overview of Quantitative Article

Overview of Qualitative Article 

Summary of the Main Points of the Paper

Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research in a Changing Practice Environment

The use of evidence-based research in present nursing practice is essential for the provision quality healthcare. While evidence-based practice based on research provides the professional nurse with information of how to safely and effectively care for their clients; the use of theories in combination with evidence-based practice provides the nurse with strategies of how to explore their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that help them understand and validate their actions. The collection of empirical information along with a theoretical framework, gives the nurse an opportunity to interrelate their experience, knowledge and values in their day-to-day practice (Matthew-Maich, Ploeg, Jack & Dobbins, 2010).

Since evidence-based practice has been equated with improved quality of care and better outcomes; many nurses and other healthcare professionals, have acquired a great appreciation for research evidence. Many nurses have adopted initiative in looking for information from evidence-based sources such as journals, protocols, policies, guidelines and websites. Nurses have acquired an understanding that providing evidence-based care has a great potential to improve the health and well-being of people and communities. Moreover, nurses not only are becoming more competent at completing their nursing tasks, but also at their ability to collect evidence-based information, interpretation and implementation, and evaluation of the impact this professional material has on people (Prior, Wilkinson & Neville, 2010).

Liberal education provides nursing students with a strong base of understanding of social sciences, physical sciences, and the arts to assess and promote health of individuals across the life course. Upon development and integration of this knowledge, nurses use critical thinking and nursing science to support independent and interdependent decision making. The practice of liberal arts in combination with nursing sciences, allows the nurse to participate in the generation and dissemination of evidence based practice which supports the requirements for nursing scholarships (University of Nebraska Medical Center, 2011).

References

Matthew-Maich, N., Ploeg, J., Jack, S., & Dobbins, M. (2010). Transformative learning and research utilization in nursing practice: A missing link? Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing,7, 25-35. Retrieved on April 22, 2010 from CINAHL database.

Prior, P., Wilkinson, J., & Neville, S. (2010). Practice nurse use of evidence in clinical practice: A descriptive survey. Nursing Praxis in New Zealand,26, 14-25. Retrieved on April 22, 2011 from CINAHL database.

University of Nebraska Medical Center. (2011). College of Nursing. Retrieved on April 22, 2011 from  http://www.unmc.edu/nursing/BSN_Objectives_Progression.htm