Please Help With This Much Needed Nursing Research Study

[jazzydelite]

hello,

my name is judy and i work in public health/health education ad is currently working on a research project on cultural competence awareness in nursing. as you are already aware, in order to meet the needs and demands of our changing demographics it is important now more than ever to be informed and educated as such. this knowledge will not only enhance your personal development, but will also increase your opportunities in the field, as cultural competence is a job requirement for organizations nowadays. please read more below regarding the study and please get back to me as soon as possible as i just received approval from the irb and i can now start recruiting for this research study.

who is eligible to participate in this research study?

actively licensed registered nurses working in new jersey, new york, and pennsylvania, who are 18 years of age or older.

why is this research being done?

the purpose of this research is to identify factors that may affect nurses' ability to adapt and respond to the demands of the changing demographics in the united states. the research study also examines, and seeks to identify factors that may affect the nurses' ability to deliver culturally competent care to racial and ethnic patients from diverse backgrounds.

why are you being asked to take part in this research study?

you are being asked to take part in this research study because you are an actively licensed registered nurse, who works in new jersey, new york, or and pennsylvania. you are also 18 years of age or older, and have worked in the field of nursing for at least 6 months. the researcher hopes the findings from the study will allow for improved understanding of how to assist better nurses to deliver cultural competent care to patients from diverse backgrounds.

what will happen if i take part in this study?

if you agree to participate in the study, you will be enrolled in the cultural competence online intervention course for nurses under the conditions explained to you by the researcher and specified in this consent form. you will also be asked to participate in the pre, post and follow-up surveys, that may last between 30 and 45 minutes (+, -). the survey questions will ask you questions about your clinical practices, and your beliefs and attitudes regarding cultural competence with relation to caring for culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse patients. you will be required to circle the term that most accurately reflects your level of agreement with each statement. you will also be asked to evaluate the course via a survey that will require less than 5 minutes to complete. a certificate of appreciation and one stating you have completed this course with all the modules listed will be issued for your records.

what risks can i expect from participating in the research study?

please be reminded that this study involves research. however, there will be, (if any), only minimal risks to you. for example, as you will be asked about your attitudes, perceptions, and feelings, you may find some of the questions embarrassing or sensitive to talk about. again, you do not have to answer these questions if you do not want to, and if you find that some of these questions create concerns you would like to further discuss, please do not hesitate in asking questions that will help to alleviate your concerns.

are there benefits to taking part in the research study?

this research study has several benefits. firstly, it will help to identify the factors that contribute to health disparities. secondly, results from the research study will assist in improving teaching strategies that will improve nursing students' confidence and skills in delivering culturally competent care. lastly, the study could increase the demand for online intervention courses in cultural competence not just for nurses, but other busy working health care professionals.

what are the costs of taking part in this research study?

there are no additional costs to you for taking part in this research study.

what about my privacy?

the information you provide to us will be kept private and confidential. while we share the findings of the study for future development in cultural competence and education curriculum, no one will receive your name, employment information, contact information, or anything else that could identify who you are. in addition, only the researcher, will have any other data, which she will keep with the utmost security, strict privacy, and confidential (as per the irb). all information will be kept in highly secured and locked files and secured password-protected computers. if information from this research study is published or presented at scientific meetings, your name and other personal information will never be used. only a coded number, or pseudo assigned just to you will be used for sharing of data purposes. lastly, the information shared with the researcher in this study is central to ethical behavior. as such, the researcher will exhibit integrity and confidentiality regarding such information, will only utilize, record, and analyze your data for the purposes stipulated in this research, and will not pass judgment.

data collection

as this is a web-based course, each nurse will receive a unique, randomly assigned, identifier to maintain anonymity. such identifiers will have a format that allows the participants to remember them without difficulties for the online pre and posttests and accessing the course. each user unique identifier will be valid for just the study intervention and will no longer be valid after submission of the evaluation. participants will receive instructions on how to access the course, the need to complete each questionnaire, and informing them that the data for the study will be gathered through the pre-and post-tests. asking demographical questions will allow the researcher to assess the study populations qualities and variations within nurses.

participants will receive their unique identifier code, the pre-course questionnaire to assess cultural competence and knowledge specific to the course prior to starting the intervention. just after finishing the course, they will complete the post-course questionnaire and a course evaluation. at this time, they will be reminded that they will receive a follow-up questionnaire in six months. all the documents, including the questionnaires for the intervention will be available and accessible electronically. the participants will have the option to request hard copies of the questionnaires accompanied by postage paid pre-addressed return envelope.

summary

this study proposes to develop and implement an online intervention course in cultural competence awareness for nurses and assess its effect on their knowledge of the ability to provide culturally appropriate care to diverse populations. development of cultural competency skills remains a great challenge for nurses, therefore the search for innovative teaching approaches that will equip them with skills and explore the key concepts of culture, and cultural competency is critical. the design of this study, a pre-test, post-test quasi experimental longitudinal design will allow to better decipher the level of the nurses' knowledge of cultural competence prior to and post to participation in the intervention, what factors can affect the culturally appropriate nursing care, and whether or not six months after the course the nurses have maintained their knowledge of cultural competence information gained through the intervention or have increase their motivation to seek understanding of diverse populations.

the potential for this study to reform the nursing curricula and to enhance nurses' perceptions, understanding, cultural sensitivity, and cultural competencies in caring for patients from diverse backgrounds is enormous. in order to build human capital, as a nation, we have to invest in preparing health care professionals for communicative leadership, as well as in enhancing nurses' skills so they can help to improve the health and health care of all americans. ongoing emphasis on cultural competency will increase nurses' awareness, and their desire to improve their cultural competency skills to aid in reducing disparities and promote health outcomes and quality of care.

please note there are no obligations. i hope you will help in this very important and personal enhancing project. if you are interested please send me an email with your desire to participate name etc., to [email protected]. i will send the consent form, the post-test survey, irb contacts etc., thank you so very much for participating in this much needed research.

judy