Essay Example: Critical Evaluation of Qualitative and Quantitative Research

In nursing, evidence-based practice refers to the process through which data is collected, processed, and implemented. The findings of the processed and implemented data are used in improving nursing practice. It is also through evidence-based practice that the research findings that the work environments and the outcomes of patients are improved. Nursing interventions must be practical, and the decisions made in practice are mostly based on the findings of evidence-based practice. Therefore, evidence-based practice is important in achieving the best patient outcomes, and achieving these goals, provides the most cost-efficient means possible. Evidence-based practice was introduced in 1992, and the success enjoyed in practice led to the adaptation of the practice in other fields such as nursing, psychology as well and education (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2017). As it stands, at least 55% of the practices in nursing care are based on the findings of previous research. It was projected that by the end of 2020, at least 90% of the practices in nursing would be based on the findings of previous research findings.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Evidence-based practice is based on four key values, which are validity, reliability, relevance, and outcomes. In terms of validity, the studies in question have to be legitimate, accurate, and make sound sense when it comes to making points known to the target group. Secondly, the evidence-based practice should be reliable. Therefore most of the issues in evidence-based practice rely on evidence of previous research topics and real-life experiences, which provide better reference points compared to the use of analytical data. Relevance is also important in evidence-based practice since different cases have different needs and, therefore, should be addressed differently (Grove and Gray, 2018). Using the same format of problem-solving for cases that have happened in different contexts will result in the achievement of different results despite the situations being the same but in different contexts. Outcomes should also be considered when one is undertaking evidence-based practice since the practice involves setting up events in a manner that will end up with the person undertaking them reaching the desired ends, which are reached effectively and in the timeliest manner possible.

Quantitative Research in Evidence-based Practice

Quantitative research presents data in the form of numbers, variables, and percentages. The use of quantitative research is to establish that there are numeric solutions and representations of the information provided in the problem statements, dilemmas, hypotheses, and the areas of study. During quantitative research, information is provided in narrow and specific questions and a large and random number of variables and groups through which the desired goals and results can be achieved. When the data has been collected, it can then be analyzed through the use of statistics, which is applied in unbiased manners, the main aim being to explain, describe and predict the information collected in the research program (Olson, Young & Schultz, 2016). There are different aspects contained in quantitative research, which are hypotheses, study groups, variables, and outcomes.

There are different types of quantitative research, for example, correlation research, which refers to research procedures involving relationships between two or even more variables, and the cause-effect relationship between the two, is not investigated. Secondly, there is quasi-experimental research, which investigates the cause-effect relationship between the variables in an experiment. It is also through quasi-experimental research that the underlying issues in an experiment are investigated and conclusions on the same made. On the other hand, descriptive research investigates the phenomena in question and offer accurate representations of the issue under investigation.

Qualitative Research in Evidence-based Practice

Qualitative research is undertaken to get new insights, knowledge, and perspectives on the subject matter in question. Qualitative research is also undertaken to find new information on already-existing knowledge in the given field of study. The findings of qualitative findings are driven by the thoughts, feelings, opinions, and experiences of the respondent s in the study. Therefore, qualitative research seeks to find and focus on the systems through which are to be followed, the steps followed for the desired ends to be achieved, and the rituals followed for the research process to arrive at the desired ends (Sant, 2019). The findings of qualitative research provide the researchers with better understanding, inform the readers on the best way to perform specific tasks or to provide new perspectives and angles on the topics that were under investigation. It is also a way through which information which cannot be effectively displayed in quantitative research is conveyed.

There are different types of qualitative research in nursing practice. First, there is ethnography, which is the study of different cultures and therefore providing the nurses with the needed knowledge on how to handle people from different cultural backgrounds. It can also involve the study of people's medical practices and how their culture views the subject of health and wellbeing. The second aspect of qualitative research is the practice of grounded theory, which is the process through which the practice of nursing is under constant reevaluation so that the best practices can be arrived at. There is also the use of symbolic interactions, which investigates the significance of communication and how communication can be carried out between different peoples. It is also through this stage in the qualitative analysis that the barriers to effective communication are investigated, and solutions on how to overcome them are formulated (Sant, 2019). Historical research is another aspect involved in qualitative research, whereby the investigators look for relevant history on the subject matter and translate the findings into the data collected on the subject more recently. This way, the changes in the two findings will give a clear picture of the issues at hand and how the issue has improved or deteriorated over time. Finally, phenomenology is another aspect that investigates a specific topic based on the experiences that the respondents in the investigation have gone through.

The Importance of Research to Evidence-based Practice

Through research, the practitioners in evidence-based practice can get reliable and accurate data on which they can base their current and future research attempts. The evidence-based practice relies on past practices, and therefore if the research in the past were not effectively conducted, the current practice of nursing would be based on inaccurate and unreliable data, which would have resulted in undesired results (Jolley, 2020). However, since the research carried out in the past was reliable and credible, the current practices in nursing are seen to be going on quite smoothly. Secondly, research helps to give the practitioners perspectives in which they can practice undertake evidence-based practice successfully and in the process achieve a condition whereby the practitioners could understand different situations and scenarios and how they may apply these things.

Through research, the possibility of discovering new ways of doing things is made achievable. Research builds on the findings of the past, current practice, and the needs of the society concerning the future needs of society and patients. Through blending the past findings, current practices, and future needs, research can effectively come up with ways through which better evidence-based practice activities can be arrived at. More importantly, research helps in answering questions on unknown areas such as the best ways of nursing practice, how to handle cases of abuse and gender-based violence in contemporary times. Research is also important in changing the way professionals carry out their activities, since findings of research papers are important in giving direction on how to effectively carry out activities, bringing out the most desirable outcomes. The research seeks new ways to carry out the evidence-based practice, and in the process, suggest the best ways that the practitioners can undertake certain activities and achieve the best outcomes (Jolley, 2020). The provision of new ideas is among the main goals of research, and therefore when researchers come up with fresh perspectives on how to carry out certain activities and get the best outcomes from them. Practitioners are likelier to follow the findings of a research proposal than the suggestions of unconfirmed claims, therefore giving research the strength of reliability and acceptability. Peer-reviewed research is used in writing other research proposals, and this shows the importance that is laid on the research of new and current topics. Finally, the only way to improve current practice is through undertaking rigorous research practices to investigate the best ways through which the practitioners can get the best outcomes from the research that is undertaken by the interested parties.

References

Grove, S. K., & Gray, J. R. (2018). Understanding Nursing Research E-Book: Building an Evidence-Based Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Jolley, J. (2020). Introducing research and evidence-based practice for nursing and healthcare professionals. Routledge.

LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2017). Nursing Research: methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Olson, K., Young, R. A., & Schultz, I. Z. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of qualitative health research for evidence-based practice. Springer New York.

Sant, M. (2019). WASP (Write a Scientific Paper): Qualitative research and evidence-based practice: implications and contributions. Early human development, 133, 37-42.