Chapter 2 - Theory, Research and Evidence Based Practice

A nurse develops the following foreground question using the PICOT 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

deductive reasoning

cognitive process in which one examines a general idea and then considers specific actions or ideas

A group of concepts that follow an understandable pattern makes up a _______________ framework or model.

conceptual

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 with other frequent intervals (24h, 48h, or 96h) decrease infection rates?" Applying the PICO framework, which part of the statement reflects the "O"?

decrease infection rates

What nursing activity forms the bridge between theory and practice?

evidence-based research

Which activity best helps the nurse apply theory to practice?

evidence-based research

One of the primary reasons for conducting nursing research is to:

generate knowledge to guide practice

Four concepts common in nursing theory are the person, the environment, ______________, and nursing.

health

informed consent

knowledgeable, voluntary permission obtained from a patient to perform a specific test or procedure

Qualitative Research

method of research conducted to gain insight by discovering meanings

Phenomenology is a type of ___________ research that describes experiences as they are lived by the subjects being studied.

qualitative

applied research

research designed to directly influence or improve clinical practice

basic research

research designed to generate and refine theory; the findings are often not directly useful in practice

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

Nursing care activities that are supported by valid and reliable research is known as evidence-based practice.

TRUE

A novice nurse is sharing a newly published research article which outlines a different approach in preventing a wound infection after surgery with a colleague and states the nurse is going to try this new method. Which is the best response from the colleague?

Wait until the method is analyzed to ensure it will be appropriate for their clients.

inductive reasoning

cognitive process in which one identifies a specific idea or action and then makes conclusions about general ideas

evidence based practice guidelines

guideline guidelines written by a panel of experts that synthesize information from multiple studies and recommend best practices to treat patients with a disease, a symptom, or a disability

data

information

evidence-based practice (EBP)

nursing care provided that is supported by sound scientific rationale

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

conceptual framework or model

set of concepts, along with the statements that arrange the concepts into an understandable pattern

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 I C O T

P

Quantitative research involves the concepts of basic and applied research.

TRUE

The method by which one examines a general idea and then considers specific actions or ideas is known as deductive reasoning.

TRUE

concept

abstract images (ideas) that are formed as impressions from the environment and organized into symbols of reality

A parent has brought a 6-year-old child into the clinic. The parent is concerned that the child does not seem to skip as well as the other children in the child's class. In planning assessments and care for this child, the nurse would be best served by choosing which theory as a foundation for decision making?

developmental theory

nursing theory

differentiates nursing from other disciplines and activities by serving the purposes of describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling desired outcomes of nursing care practices

nursing research

encompasses both research to improve the care of people in the clinical setting and to study people and the nursing profession, including education, policy development, ethics, and nursing history

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

evaluating practice change

A nursing theorist examines a hospital environment by studying each ward and how it works individually, and 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

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

general systems theory

A nursing instructor is preparing a group of nursing students to conduct their first research project. The instructor determines the initial training is successful when the students prioritize which goal to focus on when conducting their research?

improve the care of each client

Theories that address nursing interventions and the consequences of those interventions are called ______________; they are designed to promote, control, and change clinical nursing practice.

prescriptive

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 element will the "O" in the team's PICO question refer to?

preventing skin breakdown

research

process that uses observable and verifiable information (data), collected in a systematic manner, to describe, explain, or predict events

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

qualitative

Quantitative Research

research involving the concepts of basic and applied research

theory

statement based on observed facts that explains or characterizes a process, an occurrence, or an event, but cannot be proven directly or absolutely as a fact

systematic review

summarized findings from multiple studies of a specific clinical practice question or topic that recommend practice changes and future directions for research; one of the strongest sources of evidence for evidence-based practice

Quality Improvement

the commitment and approach used to continuously improve every process in every part

Nursing _______________differentiates nursing from other disciplines and activities in that it serves the purposes of describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling desired outcomes of nursing care practices.

theory

A nurse working in a long-established hospital learned a specific approach to administering intravenous injections from the previous generation of nurses at the hospital. This is an example of which type of knowledge?

traditional knowledge

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

use of outcome studies to guide decisions

Adaptation theory outlines the process of growth and development of humans as orderly and predictable.

FALSE

Traditional knowledge comes from an expert and is accepted as truth based on the person's perceived expertise.

FALSE

A nurse is reading a research article from a nursing journal. The nurse 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 nurse reading?

Abstract