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- QUESTION
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
—Lewis Caroll, Jabberwocky (from Through the Looking Glass)
It might be fun to read through the nonsense syllables of the poem, Jabberwocky, but, for those who are new to statistics, looking at statistical results can feel like trying to read and garner meaning from an unfamiliar language. McNemar’s test, Cochran’s Q, ANOVA, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test may sound like something in another language, but they are all examples of statistical tests used to analyze quantitative data. Though the topic of statistics can seem intimidating and overwhelming, as a nurse, you can benefit from becoming familiar with the types of statistical tests, knowing when they are used, and understanding what they measure. Few nurses spend time calculating statistical significance using long columns of data and complex formulas, but nurses will find it useful, as they review resources for evidence-based practice, to have an acquaintance with the most commonly used statistical tests.
This week, you are introduced to the process of data analysis. You examine different types of statistics and statistical tests and when they are used. You also assess how to interpret the results of statistical tests.
Objectives
By the end of this week, you will be able to:
- Analyze the use of various statistical tests for analyzing data
- Assess the significance of nurses understanding statistical methods
As a nurse engaged in evidence-based practice, it is important to recognize how statistics and other data analysis tools are used to generate and assess evidence. Most nurses need only a foundational understanding of statistical tools and terminology to understand the majority of research studies. As a nurse, you should be able to recognize the most commonly used statistical tests, how and when they are used, and how significance is determined.
In this Discussion, you examine different types of statistics and statistical tests, when and why these particular tests would be selected for use, and, most importantly, what the results indicate. To this end, you will be assigned to a group by Day 1 of this week. Each group will be assigned one of the five chapters listed in this week’s Learning Resources and will develop a study sheet on their chapter that will be shared with the other groups.
To prepare:
- Review the information in your assigned chapter.
- As a group, develop a 1-page study sheet that includes the following: ◦The key concepts of the chapter: Focus on the basic concepts that are important for nurses to understand as they review research studies.
◦A description of the statistical methods covered in the chapter, what they measure, and under what circumstances they are used. Identify examples of how the statistical methods have been used in research studies.
◦An explanation of the key statistical tests and how they measure significance (if applicable
| Subject | Nursing | Pages | 5 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Current Professional Standards
The new century has witnessed a lot of accomplishments in advancing the health of the public. For instance, it was practically a dream to achieve certain milestones like organ transplant say 100 years ago. However, these improvements have not been without challenges especially on the issues of racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, emerging and re-emerging of pathogens, adoption of healthy lifestyles, and the potential application of the Human Genome Project (Goodman, 2008).
On the health education section, include accreditation of schools and programs offering degrees. Besides, the issue of offering a credentialing system for health educators is also an achievement. Presently, there is a guideline on key competencies required of persons willing to join training institutions are health educators (Goodman, 2008). The birth of certification process in the 20th century also marked an important milestone in the health education sector. It is crucial, therefore that all institutions offering public health education get accredited as proof that they have met the set standards and qualifications. Besides, the core competencies that is required of entry behavior for those joining training institution is also instrumental in ensuring that the right candidates are trained to become health care education specialists.
Certification and Program Accreditation
Both individuals and institutions need to be accredited for them to offer various programs. The benefits of accreditation and certification are numerous and as such it is an issue that cannot be ignored. For instance, certification and accreditation help in ensuring that quacks do take advantage of the people who need services of health education specialists (Society for Public Health Education, 1997). The implication is that accreditation ensures that only qualified health education specialists are allowed to offer various programs intended to benefit the people. However, the process of accreditation is not without barriers. Some of the barriers common in both accreditation and certification is their long processes individuals have to go through when they want to get accredited. In fact the process in not only tedious but it is also costly, bureaucratic and sometimes not responsive enough because even the less qualified usually get accredited.
Certification refers to the process used to ascertain that a healthcare education specialist has merited serving in their position. Certification ensures that the right stands have either been met or surpassed. Certification ensures that the person has all the competencies and as such can perform their responsibility with utmost precision and professionalism.
Accreditation is mostly on institutions. The process of accreditation involves evaluating institutions, agencies, and educational programs with an aim of ensuring that the right services are offered to the public. It has to do with granting public recognition to an institution, agency or even a program when the accrediting body feels that the right qualifications and standards have been met
Public Health Educator Working Setting
Usually, a healthcare education specialist working in a healthcare setting is involved in quite some activities. However, the responsibilities differ significantly depending on the healthcare setting. The core responsibilities include planning to implement and to evaluate various programs within the healthcare setting. The other responsibilities include grant writing, offering one-on-one or group patient education services, public relations, publicity employee wellness activities among others ("Health Promotion - Setting," n.d). Most importantly is the fact that health education specialists are often hired as administrators in healthcare facilities. They are hired as managers, directors or even coordinators of various programs going on in the healthcare setting. Their roles are not just restricted to specific areas but include planning and coordination all the programs within the healthcare setting. Besides, they are also very resourceful to other team members who work on the projects.
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References
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Goodman, D. C. (2008). Improving Accountability for the Public Investment in Health Profession Education. JAMA, 300(10), 1205. doi:10.1001/jama.300.10.1205 Health Promotion - Setting. (n.d.). SpringerReference. doi:10.1007/springerreference_82825 Society for Public Health Education. (1997). Health education & behavior: The official publication of the Society for Public Health Education. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Periodicals Press.
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