Nursing Research : Definition, Purpose & Sample Topics

Nursing research Definition

Nursing research is defined as a scientific process that links theory to practice in order to improve the quality of patient care.

The main goals of nursing research are to improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, and advance the nursing profession.

Nursing research studies can be conducted in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, community health centers, and online.

Different types of research methods are used in nursing research, such as quantitative (using numbers) or qualitative (using words). Qualitative research is used to explore what people say about their experiences, feelings, and thoughts about an issue.

Quantitative methods use numbers for counting and measuring things like how many people get sick or how much weight they lose over time.

Qualitative research methods are more often used when it’s not possible to do quantitative data collection because there isn’t enough money or resources available. Nursing students learn how to conduct research projects with either qualitative or quantitative methods.

There are also many different ways that nurses can help researchers with their work, such as designing experiments, administering surveys, managing databases, or analyzing findings.

In addition to conducting nursing research themselves, nurses have other important roles related to the dissemination of knowledge from researchers.

Nurses review articles before they’re published in journals and present new findings at conferences. They also write articles on healthcare topics for patients and families.

Nurses who publish research findings will usually include information about why this study was done, how the participants were selected, what was found out through the study, and any limitations of the study.

Why is nursing research important?

Nursing research is important to the healthcare industry because it provides practitioners with information that they can use to treat and prevent disease, illness, and injury in their patients.

In addition, nursing research gives patients valuable insights into their illnesses and ways to improve their quality of life as they recover from injury or manage ongoing health problems.

When practicing nurses have access to up-to-date information on best practices and medical advancements, they can deliver better care to their patients while working more efficiently to provide care without sacrificing quality or safety.

As part of academic writing, nursing research helps students gain a deeper understanding of how their studies and future practice will affect their patients and their community.In today’s world, medical knowledge changes rapidly. Nursing professionals need to keep up with these changes in order to give their patients the best care possible.

Here are some other reasons that nursing research is an integral part of delivering effective and safe patient care:

1) Nursing research helps professionals who are new to a specific area learn about common procedures, medications, treatments, etc.

2) Nurses perform research when there is not enough evidence to determine if a practice is helpful for patients or if there are other treatments available.

3) Nursing research also provides guidance for day-to-day clinical decisions that clinicians may face.

4) Clinical trials often rely on nursing data collected through routine patient care to measure the effectiveness of interventions being studied.

5) Finally, basic research informs clinical researchers about what questions need to be asked and what methodologies might be used to answer them.
What is the goal of nursing research?

The main goals of nursing research are to promote:

  • safe, effective patient care
  • increased knowledge and skills among healthcare providers
  • support for higher quality patient care
  • a better understanding of health problems and health-related issues
  • development of new or improved interventions that improve clinical outcomes, prevent disease and promote wellness. As you can see, nursing research has many benefits for both patients and caregivers.

What are the types of research in nursing?

There are five types of nursing research: basic, narrative inquiry, phenomenology, ethnography, and grounded theory. Each of these types of nursing research has its own set of methods and goals. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

  • Narrative Inquiry – this type of research investigates how people live with, cope with, and understand a particular condition. It explores how people make sense of their experiences. Narrative inquiry research design can be used in qualitative or quantitative research. It often starts with interviews to develop a framework for understanding, but it can also include observations, historical documents, and other data sources.

 

  • Phenomenology – This type of nursing research asks what health conditions are like for those who have them. Researchers study how people experience illness and pain to gain insight into their lives and help develop new treatments. Qualitative approaches such as phenomenology involve interviewing people about their thoughts and feelings, including memories and fantasies. Quantitative approaches such as grounded theory typically involve surveys or questionnaires.

 

  • Ethnography – Here nursing researchers explore cultural perspectives on a health problem. They try to get an insider’s view by living with and participating in the culture under study. Nurses conduct studies within cultures (in-depth fieldwork), across cultures (cross-cultural fieldwork), or along the border between cultures (transcultural fieldwork)

 

  • Grounded Theory – Grounded theory does not start out with any predetermined variables but instead creates categories based on emerging concepts as data is analyzed. This type of nursing research uses a variety of research techniques, including interviews, focus groups, observation, and document analysis.

 

  • Basic Research – Basic research is performed in academia and is not always clinically relevant. However, it can inform future clinical research. Basic research involves studying the underlying principles of things rather than just their practical applications. This type of research is necessary to find cures for chronic illnesses or to address health disparities. For example, basic nursing research helped create new treatments for blood pressure, heart disease, and pneumonia.

What are the characteristics of nursing research?

The main characteristics of nursing research are:

  • generating new knowledge or adding to current knowledge;
  • systematic and rigorous;
  • objective and critical;
  • uses scientific methodologies;
  • peer-reviewed
  • based on solid theory
  • must be generalizable.

Problem statement example in nursing research

The question “what is a problem statement in nursing research? ” ? is best answered by taking a close look at each type of nursing research.

Basic nursing research projects, while not always clinically relevant, helps us to further our understanding of the causes and nature of health problems. This information will help us to know more about possible causes and prevention of chronic diseases.

Narrative inquiry is useful when exploring how individuals react to specific situations. This type of research is particularly valuable for assisting in the creation of new treatments and therapies.

Phenomenology takes a descriptive approach, examining a person’s perception of their illness or medical treatment. This type of research can be very helpful in designing new treatments and understanding how people feel during their health journey.

Ethnography is done by immersing oneself in the culture to learn more about a specific health issue. This type of research is especially beneficial for those interested in multicultural health care. Grounded theory problem statements typically begin with a review of the literature. This type of research is usually guided by a theory and may use various research methods, depending on the hypotheses being tested.

Here are examples of problem statements in nursing research:

1) The population of women with gestational diabetes mellitus will continue to increase as a result of poor diet, lack of exercise, and genetic predisposition. Women with gestational diabetes are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. In addition, they are at increased risk for hypertensive disorders and obesity in their children. The development of preventive measures would be helpful in decreasing these risks.

2) Most nurses in pediatric oncology settings have reported that physical and emotional distress from caring for terminally ill children was impacting their personal lives. More education about self-care strategies, support systems, and coping mechanisms is needed for pediatric oncologists.

Ideas for nursing research topics

Nursing research topics are infinite and difficult to choose. Maybe the most important consideration is what problem you want to investigate.

Here are some example topics of nursing research.

  1. A randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of a home nurse visit on patient outcomes after discharge in a cohort of diabetic patients with cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure.
  2. A qualitative examination of providers’ experiences in addressing and managing violence in intimate partner relationships.
  3. An exploration of the barriers faced by caregivers and relatives at the end of life, where terminally ill adults reside outside the home, in long-term care facilities.
  4. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease among low-income, rural elderly persons.
  5.  Pros of IT in healthcare

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