Chapter 2: Theory, Research, and Evidence-Informed Practice

A nurse researcher develops a foreground question in preparation for conducting a research study. The question is: "In clients with intravenous catheters, how does replacing administration sets every 72 hours (h) compared to other frequent intervals (24h, 48h, or 96h) decrease infection rates?" Applying the PICO framework, which part of the statement reflects the "O"?

-decrease infection

The nurse is preparing to submit a research project to the institutional review board (IRB). What outcome does the nurse determine will occur when the project passes through the IRB?

Ethical principles will be followed for all participants.

If a nurse describes a study of people and the nursing profession including studies of education, policy development, ethics, and nursing history, then what is the nurse defining?

Nursing research

Nurses in an ICU noticed that their clients required fewer interventions for pain when the ICU was quiet. They then asked a researcher to design a study about the effects of noise on the pain levels of hospitalized clients. How does this demonstrate the ultimate goal of expanding the nursing body of knowledge?

Nursing research helps improve ways to promote and maintain health.

The nursing instructor asks a group of students to identify a theory that describes, explains, predicts, and controls outcomes in nursing practice. One student correctly identifies this theory as what?

Nursing theory

When looking at a model for evidence-based practice, what is the final step of the process?

evaluating practice change

One of the primary focuses of nursing research is to:

generate knowledge to guide practice.

Evidence-based care emphasizes decision making based on the best available evidence and:

use of outcome studies to guide decisions.

A nursing student is reading a research article from a nursing journal. The student is aware that the opening paragraph summarizing the article and the research findings is a good place to start. What part of the article is the nursing student reading?

-Abstract

What nursing activity forms the bridge between theory and practice?

Evidence-based research

A nurse researcher is collecting nominal data. What type of research is being conducted?

Quantitative research

The second step in implementation of evidence-based practice includes systematic review. In order to complete a systematic review of the literature the nurse must do which of the following?

Summarize findings from multiple studies that are related to a particular nursing practice.

What type of research study would a hospital conduct to explore clients' and families' perceptions of receiving care?

qualitative

A nurse develops the following foreground question using the PICO format in preparation for a research study: "In overweight clients, how do chromium supplements compared to no supplements help with weight loss?" Which part of the question reflects the intervention?

-chromium supplements

A nurse is reviewing a qualitative research study. Which aspects of this type of study would the nurse need to keep in mind? Select all that apply.

-control of manipulation is rarely used, reality is not viewed as a fixed entity, intuition is used for analysis.

A nurse who works in a pediatric practice assesses the developmental level of children of various ages to determine their psychosocial development. These assessments are based on the work of:

-erikson

A nursing theorist examines a hospital environment by studying each ward and how it works individually, then relates this information to the hospital as a whole working entity. This is an example of the use of which theory?

-general systems theory

There are four common concepts in nursing theory. While all concepts are important, the focus of nursing is always on which of the following?

-person

A nurse is discussing dietary issues with a Latino client in the clinic. The client states, "My grandmother always told me that I needed to include beans in my diet so that my muscles would grow." The information that the client is expressing is known as what?

-traditional knowledge

Which is an example of evidence-based nursing practice?

A nurse is working in an obstetric clinic. Because many of her clients experience nausea and vomiting, the nurse performed a literature review on complementary and alternative medicine treatments. She has chosen to look at studies that have been published in indexes such as PubMed. In her review of the literature she found that ginger was an effective treatment for nausea and was safe during pregnancy. She now recommends ginger to all of her clients.

As a researcher begins to form plans for a research project the researcher must decide on the method for conducting the research. The nurse researcher that plans to emphasize collection data and the analyses for the purpose of creating a new theory would select which of the following methods of research?

Basic research

The nurse is reading about nursing theorists for a class. The theory reveals the following, "Individuals who use self-care to sustain life and health, to recover from disease or injury, or to cope with its effects." Which individual developed this theory?

Dorothea Orem

A nurse researcher is examining the cause-and-effect relationship between the consumption of tap water containing minimal amounts of bleach, and the incidence of cancer in rats. The research is taking place in a laboratory setting. What type of quantitative research is being used based upon this description?

Experimental research

Which group of nurses would be least likely involved in direct research? Select all that apply.

Novice nurses Student nurses

Which of the following represents the basic framework of the research process?

Nursing Process

What is the best explanation for the way evidence-based practice (EBP) has changed the way nursing care is delivered?

Nursing care now uses EBP as a means of ensuring quality care.

The nursing instructor is reviewing common concepts in nursing theory with the class. There are four concepts that are related to the practice of nursing. Students identify which of the following as core concepts for nursing theory. (Select all that apply.)

Person (client) Environment Health Nursing

nurse is discussing dietary issues with a Latino client in the clinic. The client states, "My nutritionist told me that I needed to include beans in my diet so that my muscles would grow." The information that the client is expressing is known as what?

-authoritative knowledge

A nurse is planning to conduct a nursing research study and is seeking federal funding. Which institution would be most helpful for the nurse to contact funding?

National Institute of Nursing Research

A nurse is planning to participate in a research project and is looking for information about what is already known about the topic. The nurse is involved in which step of the research process?

scientific literature review

A community health nurse has been visiting a diabetic client whose morning fasting glucose levels are constantly elevated. Upon further assessment, the nurse determines that the client's spouse does not understand how to prepare meals following the prescribed diabetic diet. Using Dorothea Orem Self Care Theory, how can the nurse help meet the needs of this client?

Arrange an evaluation appointment with a dietician.

The American Nurses Association's Commission on Nursing Education developed guidelines for the investigative function of nurses at different educational levels. Which of the following is a guideline for a nurse with an associate degree?

Assist in collection of data within an established, structured format

In order for the nurse to be able to apply the knowledge that has been obtained in the formal education process, which theory would best break whole concepts into parts and then determine how the parts would work together as a whole?

General systems theory

Which theory emphasizes the relationships between the whole and the parts, and describes how parts function and behave?

General systems theory

A male client 79 years of age who is postoperative Day 3 following hip replacement surgery has been approached by a nurse researcher and asked to participate in a research study. This study will test a new rehabilitation strategy. What aspect of the nursing research process addresses the client's understanding of the potential risks and benefits of this study?

Going through the informed consent process with the client

A nurse observes that the past five clients referred from a community clinic have been treated for drug and/or alcohol overdose. Based on this information, the nurse assumes that the clinic specializes in the treatment of substance use. This is an example of what type of reasoning?

Inductive reasoning

Christine Grady is a nurse ethicist that proposed a framework for evaluating ethics. Grady suggested that a independent review is needed for ethical research. This principle is correctly defined as:

Informed consent means that "individuals should be informed about the research and provide their voluntary consent."

What is the central theme of Florence Nightingale's nursing theory?

Meeting the personal needs of the client within the environment.

Which of these is not a criterion for critically evaluating websites when doing a literature review?

Accessibility

A nurse is reviewing nursing theory for usefulness in a home healthcare setting. Which is the appropriate application of Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Model in a home healthcare setting?

Match the client's self-care needs with appropriate supportive interventions

A nurse is reviewing nursing theory for usefulness in a home healthcare setting. Which is the appropriate application of Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Model in a home healthcare setting?

Match the client's self-care needs with appropriate supportive interventions.

The nursing instructor asks a group of students to identify a theory that describes how humans adjust to life with other living things and with the environment. One student correctly identifies this as which theory?

adaptation theory

Which is not a focus of nursing research?

drug metabolism by cytochrome p450

A nurse researcher must decide on the method for conducting the research. The researcher that plans to emphasize collection of numerical data and analysis would select which method of research?

Quantitative research

A nurse is developing a foreground question for nursing research using the PICO model. Which component would be represented by the statement, "a 45-year-old male with coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation"?

- P

A nurse is preparing to conduct a research study and uses the PICO format to develop the foreground question which is: "In adults, does reducing salt intake, compared to no change in salt intake, lower blood pressure?" The nurse identifies the "P" as:

-adults

A community health nurse has been visiting a diabetic client whose morning fasting glucose levels are constantly elevated. Upon further assessment, the nurse determines that the client's spouse does not understand how to prepare meals following the prescribed diabetic diet. Using Dorothea Orem Self Care Theory, how can the nurse help meet the needs of this client?

-arrange an evaluation appointment with a dietician

When the nurse researcher informs the participant that his identity will not be linked with the information that is collected, the researcher is ensuring the participant's:

-confidentiality

The nursing instructor is explaining sources of knowledge to a group of nursing students. The nursing instructor describes "some knowledge is gained from someone with a great deal of perceived experience." One of the students correctly describes this source as being:

Authoritative knowledge

A nurse is formulating a clinical question in PICOT format. Which of the following is represented by the letter I?

Clearly defined, focused literature review

A nursing student is describing abstract ideas with a group of peers. The student says that these ideas can be a group of objects with relationships. The nursing instructor knows that the student is describing which of the following?

Concepts

A nursing theory differs from a theoretical framework in which way?

Concepts and propositions are more specific and present or explain some phenomenon

A nursing student is describing building nursing theory during a fundamentals nursing class. The student describes that a theory can be built by looking at an idea as a whole and then breaking the idea down into smaller, more specific ideas. The nursing instructor knows that the student is describing which of the following?

Deductive reasoning

A public health nurse is working with a large group of clients who require a variety of patient care, health teaching, and health promotion. Using Virginia Henderson's Basic Needs Theory, how should the nurse proceed in order to provide a variety of medical, health teaching, and health promotion interventions?

Determine general basic needs of the group and additional needs specific to each client.

The nursing instructor asks a group of students to identify a theory that describes the maturation of humans through stages. One student correctly identifies this theory as what?

Developmental theory

When looking at a model for evidence-based practice, what is the final step of the process?

Evaluating practice change

The nursing student studying research exhibits an understanding when informing the instructor that which of the following is the bridge between theory and practice?

Evidence-based research

In nursing class the instructor asks the students about the nursing research process. The student identifies the first nurse to collect data on clients as which of the following?

Florence Nightingale

Who is considered to be the first nursing theorist who conceptualized nursing in terms of manipulating the environment?

Florence Nightingale

Which activity systematically inquires about the problems encountered in nursing practice and into the modalities of client care?

Nursing research

A nurse researcher is studying female clients who have survived breast cancer. The nurse asks each client to describe her experience and then analyzes the data for the meaning of the experience within each person's own reality. This nurse has used what type of qualitative research method?

Phenomenology

A group of nurses is planning to investigate the effectiveness of turning immobilized stroke clients more frequently in order to prevent skin breakdown. The team has begun by formulating a PICO question. Which of the following will the "O" in the team's PICO question refer to?

Preventing skin breakdown

When a researcher begins to form plans for a research project, the researcher must decide on the method for conducting the research. The nurse researcher that plans to emphasize collection of narrative data and the analyses would select which of the following methods of research?

Qualitative research

A nurse is discussing dietary issues with a Latino client in the clinic. The client states, "I read a research article about the importance of beans in the Latino diet. The findings from the study suggested that inclusion of meat and beans in the diet would help in the development of muscles and bones." The information that the client is expressing is known as what?

Scientific Knowledge

A nurse providing care has a personal philosophy that nursing interventions should be instituted for clients when the clients demonstrate ineffective adaptive responses. This nurse's philosophy is based on the theory of:

Sister Callista Roy

The second step in implementation of evidence-based practice includes systematic review. In order to complete a systematic review of the literature the nurse must do which of the following?

Summarize findings from multiple studies that are related to a particular nursing practice

A nurse is using the quantitative research process to study the cause of healthcare-associated infections (HIA) and how to prevent them. Which actions are examples of the components of this process? Select all that apply.

The nurse collects data from subjects in the study. The nurse formulates a hypothesis and variables in the study.

Which statement best explains the importance of theoretic frameworks?

Theoretic frameworks advance nursing knowledge and practice.

A conceptual framework is defined as:

a set of concepts and propositions

A nurse is reading a journal article about nursing research and evidence-based practice. Part of the article addresses the areas identified by the American Nurses Association as relevant to quality outcomes for client care. Which area would the nurse most likely find identified when reading the article? Select all that apply.

client safety, nursing efficiency, population health, workforce mix

A nurse is preparing a seminar for a nursing research symposium. As part of the presentation, the nurse plans to discuss the history surrounding the development of nursing research. When describing the research that occurred during the early half of the twentieth century, which area would the nurse describe as being the focus?

nursing education