CONCEPT: UNIT III: SELECTING AND IDENTIFYING A RESEARCH PROBLEM PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Safe and quality nursing care A. Demo nstra tes knowledg e base on the health/i llnes s statu s ofindividual/groups 2. Personal and professional development A. Identifies own learning needs 3. Quality improvement A. Gathers data for quality improvement 4. Research A. Gathers data using different methodologies TOPIC: SELECTING AND IDENTIFYING A RESEARCH PROBLEM SOURCES OF NURSING RESEARCH PROBLEMS The sources for generating appropriate nursing research problems are numerous. Four of the most important ones are (a) personal experience, (b) literature sources, (c) existing theories, (d) previous research. PERSONAL EXPERIENCES One dis adv ant age in usi ng per son al exp eri ences as the sou rce ofresearch problems is that this practice frequently leads to a large numberof small, unrelated studies with limited generalizability of study results. LITERATURE SOURCES The existing nursing literature is an excellent source of ideas for research. Ne ar ly ever y st ud y that has been published conclu des wi th recommendations for further studies. EXISTING THEORIES If an existing theory is used in developing a researchable problem, a specific propositional statement or statements from the theory must be isolated. Generally, an entire theory is not is not tested; only a part orparts of a theory are subjected to testing in the clinical situation. PREVIOUS RESEARCH A body of know ledge should be devel oped on sound founda tions ofresearch findings. If nursing practice is to be guided by research, the resul ts of stud ies must be verif ied. Replica tion studies therefor e are needed. Replication studies involve rep eat ing a stu dy wi th all the essential elements of the original study held intact. Different samples and sett ings may be used. Repli catio n studi es in nurs ing have not been numerous, and the lack of these studies has hindered the development ofcumulative body of nursing knowledge. Note: Dis cuss the dif fer enc e bet ween replic ati on stu die s and plagiarism PERSONAL LITERATURE THEORIES EXPERIENCE PREVIOUS RESEARCH NURSING RESEARCH PROBLEM After identifying the sources of the nursing research problem, we must now ident ify wha t would be the characteristic s of a goo d nursing research problem. CHARACTERISTIC S OF RESEARCHABLE PROBLEMS 1. ORIGINALITY The problem is relatively new and represents untapped or rarely tapped subjects of inquiry. 2. SIGNIFICANCE Research problems may represent a response to established priorities in the nursing profession. Giving importance to prevailing nursing problems is a good starting point for exploring research subjects. Significance of the problem is established if results of the study indicate the following: A. The i nqu iry help s sol ve pe rsiste nt, prev ail ing p roblems B. It re lat es to and i s use ful t o a parti cul ar group o f peo ple C. It makes a di ff er ence between past and cur rent theor y and practice D. It furth er refin es alre ady esta blished conc epts, conditions, practices and situations E. It con tr ibu te s to th e st oc kpi le of kno wled ge in th e particular field
