Hi, I am presently taking an Intro to Nursing Research course. I have to write a paper on Is Qualitative research methodolgy better for the advancement of nursing as a profession. Can anyone give me their thoughts, any suggestions on good references for this topic.

I would appreciate any feedback.

I am taking the same course. I will get back to you.

I cant say that I think qualitative is better than quantitative. I think they complement each other. Each methodology provides differend kinds of knowledge that are useful in nursing.

Qualitative research provides an understanding of human experiences, which cannot be objectively measured. We know that there are many things about people that we cannot measure, yet they effect health (mind/body/spirit). Nurses are involved with patients whose life experiences with a particular situation are unknown to us. We've never experienced their circumstance. For example, I've never had breast cancer, but by reading qualitative studies that describe the lived experience as told by breast cancer survivors, we can gain understanding of some of the common fears, hopes, thoughts, and experiences that are common to breast cancer survivors, which I believe enhances quality of care. I use this topic as an example, but there are many more such as, the lived experience of having a child with a chronic illness, or the lived experience of being a victim of domestic violence. It provides nurses insight into these most personal life experiences of others.

Anyway, hope this helps. Research is a passion of mine. :)

Linda

Linda, many thanks for your comment putting this into perspective

:)

I much like yourself will be taking a research course this summer. I am in a nursing administration role. Anyone know any good research topics dealing with cost ?

Ursala, you can do a cost effectiveness analysis on any intervention. It is not my bag and has always been challenging to me. If you are in administration, why not look at a topic that directly relates to what you do every day? You could look at training new staff or enhancing job satisfaction. I'm sure if you searched pubmed you would find something interesting. Try nurses and burnout. That seems to be a hot topic.

i am pursuing a diploma in health visiting i am required to do nursing research. i am confused with formulating a problem statement. please help!

I am a nursing student at RGU in aberdeen im on my final essay which i have failed. Its all to do with research and reflection on comforting recently bereaved relatives can anyone help please?

hi i am a nursing student at USJR..i just want to ask for some help regarding on my research problem..i really dont have an idea of what topic to choose..can anyone help me formulate a problem statement??...thank you so much in advance!...

You might like to try these websites:

• http://www.utexas.edu/research/pair/formulat.htm
  
• http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~pzapf/classes/CRJ70000/Formulating%20the%20research%20question.htm
  
• http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/0/f87fd7182f0ff21c852569c2005a47b7

Hello there!

I'm a RN in germany and currently I attend additionally an advanced training to become a research nurse (in germany it's called study nurse). Elsewise I already care for several cardiologic studies.

For my training (we have to do a projectwork) I need some informations about the education of nurses and how to become a research nurse in canada, because it's very different to germany. I don't even know, if I could work over there with my education.

I'm looking forward to hear from anybody soon.

Thanks in adavance

I would encourage every student seeking clarification on how to write a research problem, understanding qualitative versus quantitative, or searching for a research topic to speak with their instructor. You are paying for an education and if you are not grasping the material you need to speak up. That said:

As much as I appreciate qualitative research, unfortunately it rarely translates well into sustainable practice. The ability to objectively quantify a practice, intervention, or a standard lends itself to creating an evidence based practice. I believe as the US moves forward into a health care environment that sincerely places emphasis and value on high quality, cost effective care, the demand for objective solutions will be great and the implementation easier.

When choosing a subject to conduct research on I believe it must be something you feel passionate about. Research is time consuming, often tedious, sometimes dissappointing, and always labor intensive. There are no shortcuts. If you do not have a passion for the subject matter, you will not connect, much less enjoy the hard work. Think long and hard about what interest you. Surf the net on key words and see what comes up.

Keep your focus narrow and realistic. For example if you are interested in improving nurse satisfaction, choose one area. Shifts. Pay. Stress. Nursing Model. Then drill down. A few examples: Pay - hospital versus outpatient; hospital versus academic; Intensive care versus med surg etc...Shifts - Day versus night; 8 versus 12 hours; rotation. Stress - patient care; family life; professional relationships. Nursing model - primary versus team; professional relationships; leadership style. Just keep it tight and focused and dig in for the long haul. It is all about identifying what you can measure and then measure it. Most importantly, after you have done the research share it....discuss with your peers, offer to present, publish!