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Quantitative Research (quantitative + research)
Selected AbstractsBodily change following faecal stoma formation: qualitative interpretive synthesisJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 9 2009Gabrielle Thorpe Abstract Title.,Bodily change following faecal stoma formation: qualitative interpretive synthesis. Aim., This paper is a report of a literature review conducted to answer the question ,How has the experience of bodily change following stoma formation been explored and interpreted through existing qualitative research?'. Background., A faecal stoma alters the function, appearance and sensation of the body. Quantitative research highlights the importance of bodily change following stoma formation but is limited in being able to explore what this experience means to ostomists. Qualitative research can identify ways in which ostomists experience their changed body but a conceptual framework of their experience drawn from qualitative findings which can inform patient-centred care has not yet been identified. Method., The Amed, ASSIA, CINAHL, Embase, Medline and Psycinfo databases were searched from inception to April 2009 using predefined inclusion criteria. Of 144 papers identified, 11 were selected for review. An interpretive review methodology for qualitative research synthesis was employed. Findings., Three broad themes of bodily experience following stoma formation were identified: loss of embodied wholeness, awareness of a disrupted lived body and disrupted bodily confidence. These highlight the impact of the experience of living with a stoma on the embodied self and the ostomist's embodiment within their lifeworld. Conclusion. A loss of embodied wholeness which underpins the experience of stoma formation can be represented through awareness of the disrupted lived body and impact on the lifeworld. Findings suggest the need for further research to identify a comprehensive conceptualization of bodily change, which can more closely match healthcare service to individual patient need. [source] Thinking critically about the "critical": Quantitative research as social critiqueNEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 133 2007Benjamin Baez Research should be judged by the questions asked and the critiques offered. [source] Bridging key research dilemmas: Quantitative research using a critical eyeNEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 133 2007Deborah Faye Carter This chapter serves as a guide for quantitative researchers who seek to approach their research questions critically. [source] Quantitative research for nonprofit managementNONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP, Issue 4 2006Wolfgang Bielefeld Although the literature on organizational management has burgeoned recently, it has focused primarily on for-profit organizations. Moreover, widely published management prescriptions are often faddish in nature. It is risky for nonprofit managers to uncritically adopt these prescriptions. Not only may they be inappropriate for the Nonprofit setting, they may also be based on inadequate research. The nonprofit sector needs to develop its own research agenda and distribute usable findings to nonprofit managers. This process is in its infancy. While research on the nonprofit sector has been vigorous over the last few decades, most of it has focused on philanthropy or the delineation of the sector's dimensions. It is vitally important that management practices in the Nonprofit sector be based on sound, useful research. Given the nature of social science research, much of this will be quantitative research. In this article, I lay out some basic parameters of quantitative research and discuss its relevance to and utility for nonprofit management. [source] Evaluation of therapeutic play: a challenge for researchCHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 1 2000Carroll There is increased pressure on practitioners offering therapy to troubled children to provide evidence of efficacy of their interventions. However, current research has not yet provided the necessary evidence. There are considerable difficulties creating a quantitative research design which excludes all relevant variables and produces unequivocal data. Quantitative research, which mainly takes the form of narrative case studies, provides ample anecdotal evidence, but there is, as yet, no comprehensive review of these data nor clear conclusions drawn. It is also necessary to consider the purpose of a narrative case study: few claim to be objective or provide a comparative analysis of a given intervention. None of the research currently available includes the opinions of experiences of children. [source] Suitability for psychoanalytic psychotherapy: a reviewACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2004K. Valbak Objective:, To review empirical studies on outpatients' pretherapy suitability for psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Method:, A literature search for studies in English was made in the databases MEDLINE, PsychInfo and EM-base. Forty-one studies spanning 20 years were selected for a thorough evaluation. Results:, Seventy-five per cent of the studies concerned brief dynamic psychotherapy. In general, application of single measures of suitability had a modest predictive value with correlations in the range of 0.17,0.73. There was no consistent difference between various formats of therapies. Most promising variables with the highest correlations with good outcome were: ,good quality of object relations', ,psychological mindedness' and ,motivation for change'. Some clinical guidelines can be drawn from quantitative research to provide the therapist with best method and format. Conclusion:, The importance of psychological variables known from the development of the brief dynamic therapies and earlier research was confirmed. Most correlations were modest and single factors could not be identified. Multivariate designs that combine different methods and formats with patient characteristics seem most promising in future predictor-outcome research. [source] Stigma and treatment delay in first-episode psychosis: a grounded theory studyEARLY INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2010Lauren Franz Abstract Aim: A longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is associated with greater morbidity in the early course of schizophrenia. This formative, hypothesis-generating study explored the effects of stigma, as perceived by family members, on DUP. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 African American family members directly involved in treatment initiation for a relative with first-episode psychosis. Data analysis relied on a grounded theory approach. A testable model informed by constructs of Link's modified labelling theory was developed. Results: Four main themes were identified, including: (i) society's beliefs about mental illnesses; (ii) families' beliefs about mental illnesses; (iii) fear of the label of a mental illness; and (iv) a raised threshold for the initiation of treatment. A grounded theory model was developed as a schematic representation of the themes and subthemes uncovered in the family members' narratives. Conclusions: The findings suggest that due to fear of the official label of a mental illness, certain coping mechanisms may be adopted by families, which may result in a raised threshold for treatment initiation, and ultimately treatment delay. If the relationships within the grounded theory model are confirmed by further qualitative and quantitative research, public educational programs could be developed with the aim of reducing this threshold, ultimately decreasing DUP. [source] Quantitative and qualitative methods in UK health research: then, now and . . . ?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 3 2002K. Mcpherson phd Quantitative and qualitative methods in UK health research: then, now and . . . ? This paper examines the current status of qualitative and quantitative research in the context of UK (public) health research in cancer. It is proposed that barren competition between qualitative and quantitative methods is inevitable, but that effective synergy between them continues to be essential to research excellence. The perceived methodological utility, with respect to understanding residual uncertainties, can account for the status accorded various research techniques and these will help to explain shifts witnessed in recent years and contribute towards an understanding of what can be realistically expected in terms of future progress. It is argued that the methodological debate, though familiar to many, is worthy of rearticulation in the context of cancer research where the psychosocial aspects of living with a cancer and the related complexity of providing appropriate cancer care are being addressed across Europe, as evidenced in recent directions in policy and research. [source] The attitudes of health care staff to information technology: a comprehensive review of the research literatureHEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008Rod Ward Objectives:, What does the publicly available literature tell us about the attitudes of health care staff to the development of information technology in practice, including the factors which influence them and the factors which may be used to change these attitudes? Methods:, Twelve databases were searched for literature published between 2000 and 2005 that identified research related to information technology (IT), health professionals and attitude. English language studies were included which described primary research relating to the attitudes of one or more health care staff groups towards IT. Letters, personal viewpoints, reflections and opinion pieces were not included. Results:, Complex factors contribute to the formation of attitudes towards IT. Many of the issues identified were around the flexibility of the systems and whether they were ,fit for purpose', along with the confidence and experience of the IT users. The literature suggests that attitudes of practitioners are a significant factor in the acceptance and efficiency of use of IT in practice. The literature also suggested that education and training was a factor for encouraging the use of IT systems. Conclusions:, A range of key issues, such as the need for flexibility and usability, appropriate education and training and the need for the software to be ,fit for purpose', showed that organizations need to plan carefully when proposing the introduction of IT-based systems into work practices. The studies reviewed did suggest that attitudes of health care professionals can be a significant factor in the acceptance and efficiency of use of IT in practice. Further qualitative and quantitative research is needed into the approaches that have most effect on the attitudes of health care staff towards IT. [source] Making subjective judgments in quantitative studies: The importance of using effect sizes and confidence intervalsHUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2006Jamie L. Callahan At least twenty-three journals in the social sciences purportedly require authors to report effect sizes and, to a much lesser extent, confidence intervals; yet these requirements are rarely clear in the information for contributors. This article reviews some of the literature criticizing the exclusive use of null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) and briefly highlights the state of NHST reporting in social science journals, including Human Resource Development Quarterly. Included are an overview of effect sizes and confidence intervals,their definitions, a brief historical review, and an argument regarding their importance. The article concludes with recommendations for changing the culture of quantitative research within human resource development (HRD) to more systematically reporting effect sizes and confidence intervals as supplements to NHST findings. [source] The beginnings of a new era: time to reflect on 17 years of the ISJINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 1 2008David E Avison Abstract., In this paper we reflect on the first 17 years of the Information Systems Journal (ISJ). The reflections are considered under three headings: origin of papers (authors, geographical period, gender and departments), research paradigms (positive/interpretive, qualitative/quantitative, non-empirical/empirical, espoused theories and research method) and finally, topics. We find that throughout the period, the published papers evidenced a greater internationalization of the journal. On the other hand, some regions and countries are poorly represented. Another imbalance concerns the lack of practitioner papers along with an author-gender imbalance. Qualitative research exceeds quantitative research by a factor of more than 2:1. Interestingly, papers classified as descriptive/conceptual/theoretical have been largely superseded in the period by those that have some empirical evidence to illustrate the points made. Sometimes it is argued that the discipline of information systems lacks theory and thinking pieces but the ISJ suggests that this is far from the truth. Further, our analysis has revealed around 250 topics discussed using many research methods to explain the phenomena. Depending on the point of view, this may show that the discipline either lacks focus or is exciting and pluralistic. We lean to the latter view, but others have argued for focusing on fewer topics and research methods. [source] Nursing Diagnosis Extension and Classification: Ongoing PhaseINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING TERMINOLOGIES AND CLASSIFICATION, Issue 2003Martha Craft-Rosenberg BACKGROUND The Nursing Diagnosis Extension and Classification Project (NDEC) has been active for almost a decade. The team began with the formation of a team of investigators at The University of Iowa College of Nursing. From 1994 until 2000 the research team consisted of 16 investigators who were experts in nursing care across the lifespan. They also represented expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research. The aims of the NDEC research are to evaluate and revise NANDA diagnoses, to validate the diagnoses using a clinical information system, and to develop candidate diagnoses. MAIN CONTENT POINTS Phase 1 of the NDEC research has yielded 116 refined and developed nursing diagnoses that have been submitted to NANDA. Of these, 65 have been approved and 54 appeared in Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions and Classification, 1999,2000 along with 39 NDEC products. In the 2000,2001 edition, 7 diagnoses refined by NDEC and 7 new diagnoses submitted by NDEC are included. As only about half the NDEC products have appeared in NANDA publications, the three-level review process (Diagnosis Review Committee, membership, and Board) has been discussed with the NANDA board. This request is currently being honored by the Diagnosis Review Committee; however, review by the membership and review by the NANDA board is just beginning to move in this direction. Phase 2, clinical validation of the NDEC work, is being conducted at a long-term care facility. It will also be conducted at a large teaching hospital. All the NDEC refinement and development work has been submitted for clinical validation. Currently validation is planned at the label level only. Phase 3 involves identification of candidate diagnoses. Many of the candidate diagnoses were developed during the concept analysis phase, when NDEC team members identified the need for additional diagnoses. Nurses in practice have submitted other candidate diagnoses. In total 195 candidate diagnoses have been identified and placed into a database. In order for the NDEC team to make decisions regarding priorities for diagnosis development, the diagnoses in the candidate database are compared to diagnoses in other classifications that have already been developed. Several classifications are used for comparison including the Omaha System and the Home Health Care Classification. A large table is used to compare candidate label to other labels. Candidate diagnosis included in other classifications will be given lower priority for development by NDEC. CONCLUSIONS The NDEC work plan includes work on diagnoses to be resubmitted to the NANDA Diagnosis Review Committee. It is hoped that the Web site for NLINKS will facilitate the work of diagnosis refinement and development. NDEC will continue to work with any investigator who is seeking assistance. The last part of the work plan is resource acquisition and recruitment of investigators to continue the refinement and development of diagnoses. [source] Norm Collision: Explaining the Effects of International Human Rights Pressure on State BehaviorINTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 2 2004Sonia Cardenas Scholars have offered several types of explanations regarding how international human rights pressure can shape state behavior. Some of these explanations are rationalist-materialist in orientation, emphasizing realist notions of power or neoinstitutionalist concerns with self-interest. Others have drawn on ideational-constructivist accounts to emphasize the role of norms, identity, and social actors. Additionally, scholars have paid attention to how international and domestic factors, sometimes in interaction, mediate human rights change. This essay surveys this literature, noting a trend toward theoretical synthesis; it also draws on insights from quantitative research and comparative politics to account for persistence in human rights violations and, more specifically, the timing of policy successes and failures. [source] Toward a theory of online communication in illness: concept analysis of illness blogsJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 7 2009Catherine McGeehin Heilferty Abstract Title.,Toward a theory of online communication in illness: concept analysis of illness blogs. Aim., This paper is a report of a concept analysis of illness blogs and their relevance to nursing research on communication during illness. Background., Blogs are being used by patients and family members to describe the experience of illness, but very little is known about this phenomenon. Data sources., Seventeen English language databases and one Internet search engine were searched from 1990 to 2007 using the truncated term ,blog*'. Specific illness terms together with ,blog*', for example, blog* and diabetes; and blog* and cancer, were used to expand the search. Review methods., Reports were included if they were of qualitative or quantitative research that included a definition of blogs or blogging and some identification or description of blog uses pertinent to the discipline. Specific emphasis was placed on blog use by individuals coping with illness experiences. ,Meta' writings by authors about their own blogging intentions and experiences were excluded. Results., An illness blog is the online expression of the narrative of illness. Theoretical and operational definitions, defining attributes, uses, antecedents and consequences were developed. The literature search returned 45 works from 17 disciplines referring to the definition and uses of blogging. Support is offered from the review of literature and analysis of the concept for the development of a theory of online communication during illness. Conclusion., Reading and incorporating illness blogs into care will enhance patient-provider relationships. Analysis of the narratives being created online about the illness experience will contribute significantly to nursing's body of knowledge. [source] A systematic review of trend studies of women seeking termination of pregnancyJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 22 2008Wendy Abigail Aims and objectives., This article reports a systematic review of trend studies (1995,2006) which answers five questions: What are the patterns of: 1,Age of women seeking termination of pregnancy; 2,First ever pregnancy ending in a termination; 3,Contraception usage at the time of conception; 4,Contraception chosen immediately postoperatively; and 5,Referral sources to termination of pregnancy services. Background., Fertility patterns are changing and there is evidence to indicate that the numbers of older women conceiving for the first time are increasing. At the same time, there are new methods of contraception widely available. Little is known about the implications of these changes on termination patterns. Design., An extensive electronic search of databases such as CINAHL, MEDLINEŽ In-Process (OVID) and was conducted from January 1995,June 2006 for trend studies in pregnancy terminations. Methods., Articles chosen were based on trend studies greater than five years, contained primary quantitative research and official government statistical reports. Results., Results of the search showed age that was unable to be compared because of the many variations in measurements and time periods, and there was only limited research worldwide of trends in contraception at the time of conception in relation to a termination of pregnancy. Additionally, there were no studies worldwide in the past 11 years, which specifically examined trends in the characteristics of the number of first-ever pregnancies which ended in a termination, contraception choices postoperative to a termination of pregnancy, or referral source to a termination of pregnancy provider. Conclusion., Little is reported in the literature on trends in the five characteristics related to pregnancy termination. Relevance to clinical practice., Evidence about the changing patterns of women seeking pregnancy termination is needed to inform policy and practice, and to ensure that health promotion strategies are underpinned by accurate information that reflects the needs of the populations of women in relation to their reproductive health. [source] Evidence of an Interaction Involving Complexity and Coupling as Predicted by Normal Accident TheoryJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2007Frederick Wolf This paper describes a test of the principle hypothesis of Normal Accident Theory. It posits and tests for the existence of an interaction involving interactive complexity and coupling associated with in an important class of manufacturing organizations. Ninety four (n=94) petroleum refineries located in the United States during the five-year period 1993,97 were examined. The dependent variable in this test was the ratio of Reportable Quantity accidental hazardous chemical releases per unit of production. Refinery capacity and age were included as control variables. This study identified a statistically significant interaction involving interactive complexity and coupling, as predicted by Normal Accident Theory. The interaction appears to be consistent with an important core hypothesis of normal accident theory over a significant portion of its domain. The nature of this interaction and its potential relevance to organizational sense making is discussed. Additional opportunities for quantitative research involving Normal Accident Theory are identified. [source] Evaluating the Level of Evidence of Qualitative ResearchJOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 6 2002Sandra Cesario RNC Guidelines for evaluating the levels of evidence based on quantitative research are well established. However, the same cannot be said for the evaluation of qualitative research. This article discusses a process members of an evidence-based clinical practice guideline development team with the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses used to create a scoring system to determine the strength of qualitative research evidence. A brief history of evidence-based clinical practice guideline development is provided, followed by discussion of the development of the Nursing Management of the Second Stage of Labor evidence-based clinical practice guideline. The development of the qualitative scoring system is explicated, and implications for nursing are proposed. [source] Money matters: students' perceptions of the costs associated with placementsMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 10 2007Natalie Wray Context, Placements are an integral component of the medical, nursing and allied health curricula. However, apart from the relocation costs associated with placements, little research on students' understandings and experiences of the financial implications of placements has been carried out. Objectives, We report on students' financial concerns associated with placements, which emerged as a main theme in a broader study we conducted on the impact of undergraduate student placement experiences on graduate practice. Methods, We conducted a qualitative study which included focus group discussions (n = 17), individual interviews (n = 48) and written responses (n = 2) with undergraduate students (n = 103) and graduates (n = 27) from a tertiary institution in Victoria, Australia. Results, Students identified that income generation and the costs associated with transport and placement location contributed to the financial burden of placements. Students also spoke of the implications of high financial strain impacting on their accumulation of debt as well as on their health and wellbeing. Discussion, Our study advances our understanding of the implications of financial hardship experienced by medical, nursing and allied health students. In our study, students, regardless of their placement location, experienced increased demands and associated stress as a result of managing placements, paid employment and limited financial resources. We recommend that further quantitative research be conducted to measure the variables identified as emerging themes in this study. [source] Race, ethnicity, and higher education policy: The use of critical quantitative researchNEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 133 2007Robert T. TeranishiArticle first published online: 12 APR 200 Cross-sectional frameworks, or between-group approaches, in quantitative research in higher education have limitations that hinder what we know about the intersection of race and educational opportunities and outcomes. [source] Quantitative research for nonprofit managementNONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP, Issue 4 2006Wolfgang Bielefeld Although the literature on organizational management has burgeoned recently, it has focused primarily on for-profit organizations. Moreover, widely published management prescriptions are often faddish in nature. It is risky for nonprofit managers to uncritically adopt these prescriptions. Not only may they be inappropriate for the Nonprofit setting, they may also be based on inadequate research. The nonprofit sector needs to develop its own research agenda and distribute usable findings to nonprofit managers. This process is in its infancy. While research on the nonprofit sector has been vigorous over the last few decades, most of it has focused on philanthropy or the delineation of the sector's dimensions. It is vitally important that management practices in the Nonprofit sector be based on sound, useful research. Given the nature of social science research, much of this will be quantitative research. In this article, I lay out some basic parameters of quantitative research and discuss its relevance to and utility for nonprofit management. [source] Another Side of the Story: A Qualitative Case Study of Voting Behaviour in the European ParliamentPOLITICS, Issue 1 2008Maja Kluger Rasmussen This study re-examines the conclusions drawn from existing research on legislative behaviour in the European Parliament (EP). Using written questionnaires and qualitative interviews with all 14 current Danish Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and three former MEPs, existing academic findings on voting behaviour in the EP are compared and contrasted with ground-level experience from the MEPs' point of view. This study lends support to many of the conclusions drawn from previous quantitative research. However, it also shows that some of these findings cannot be fully understood without individual-level information. [source] The Effect on Elderly Parents in Cambodia of Losing an Adult Child to AIDSPOPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 3 2007John Knodel Little systematic quantitative research is available on the parents of adults who become ill and die of AIDS despite their large number and the wide range of adverse consequences. This study, based on survey data from Cambodia, explores economic and social effects on parents in a country characterized by extreme poverty and a substantial AIDS epidemic. Results indicate that parents play a major role during the illness of an adult son or daughter, often sharing living quarters, providing care, and paying for illness-related expenses. These contributions to the societal response to AIDS come at considerable cost to parents at advanced ages. Multivariate analysis suggests lasting negative consequences for parents'economic well-being, and the consequences are more substantial if the adult child's death was from AIDS rather than from other causes. The study found little evidence of stigma associated with losing a grown child to AIDS: reactions from local community members are more likely to be sympathetic and supportive than negative. These results underscore the need for organizations dealing with AIDS to recognize the contributions older persons make in coping with the epidemic and to address the burden it imposes on them. [source] The Use of Simulation in the Development of Individual Cognitive Expertise in Emergency MedicineACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2008William Bond MD Abstract This consensus group from the 2008 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference, "The Science of Simulation in Healthcare: Defining and Developing Clinical Expertise," held in Washington, DC, May 28, 2008, focused on the use of simulation for the development of individual expertise in emergency medicine (EM). Methodologically sound qualitative and quantitative research will be needed to illuminate, refine, and test hypotheses in this area. The discussion focused around six primary topics: the use of simulation to study the behavior of experts, improving the overall competence of clinicians in the shortest time possible, optimizing teaching strategies within the simulation environment, using simulation to diagnose and remediate performance problems, and transferring learning to the real-world environment. Continued collaboration between academic communities that include medicine, cognitive psychology, and education will be required to answer these questions. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||