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- QUESTION
Weighing the Evidence
When conducting original research, the final step researchers must complete is weighing the evidence and interpreting the meanings of their data, statistics, and analyses. This is the culmination of the research process in which all of the research methods and designs can be synthesized into a meaningful conclusion. In this stage, researchers should formulate explanations for what their data indicates, determine whether the data answers their initial research question, identify areas of uncertainty, and consider directions for further research.
In this Discussion, you focus on one of the research articles that you identified for Part 2 of the Course Project (Literature Review). You then explore the process of how the researchers generated conclusions based on their data, consider other possible interpretations of their data, and formulate ideas for further research.
To prepare:
- Review this week’s Learning Resources, focusing on how researchers find meaning in their data and generate sound conclusions. Pay particular attention to Table 2 in the article, “Study Design in Medical Research.”
- Revisit the 5 articles that you identified in Part 2 of the Course Project. Select one to consider for the purpose of this Discussion.
- Read sections of the chosen article where the data is presented, analyzed, and interpreted for meaning. What reasoning process did the researchers use to formulate their conclusions? What explanation did they give to support their conclusions? Were there any weaknesses in their analysis or conclusions?
- Consider possible alternate conclusions that the researchers could have drawn based on their data.
- Examine the findings that the article presents and consider how well they addressed the researcher’s initial question(s). What additional research could be done to build on these findings and gain a fuller understanding of the question?
Post on or before Day 3 an APA citation and brief summary of the research article that you selected. Describe the data and the results of any statistical tests or analyses presented in the article. Explain how the researchers formulated their conclusion, any weaknesses in their analysis or conclusions, and offer at least one alternate interpretation of their data. Propose at least one additional research study that could be
| Subject | Nursing | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Weighing The Evidence
The relevance of evidence based research in the nursing practice has proved effective at providing improved care through informed practice. Nonetheless, the success of any research in the nursing practice is determined by the nature of the review conducted on the data. Since most researches in the health sector are systematic, Polit and Beck (2012) state that there are three main forms of reviews depending on the data collection and analysis method. These include: Meta-analysis, metasynthesis and the mixed methods reviews. Furthermore, the authors argue that meta-analysis is commonly used for comparing quantitative studies on randomized trials so as o determine the effectiveness of the interventions considered. On the other hand, metasynthesis focuses on the analysis of the research question in qualitative studies in order to understand whether the question has been answered conclusively and lastly, the mixed method integrates both quantitative and qualitative evidence towards developing a comprehensive review.
McPhail, S. M., Schippers, M., & Marshall, A. L. (2014). Age, physical inactivity, obesity, health conditions, and health-related quality of life among patients receiving conservative management for musculoskeletal disorders. Clinical Interventions In Aging, 1069.
This is an investigative study that was conducted to investigate how age, physical inactivity, obesity, health conditions and health related quality of life affect the management of musculoskeletal disorders among the aged. As a quantitative study, cross-sectional data was collected from patients in three ambulatory hospitals, active survey on Australian population and an EQ-5D study on the participants. Accordingly, the researchers believed that musculoskeletal disorders were prevalent among the aged due to their lifestyle and other conditions related to their well being. For this reason, it was more effective to consider how their various conditions affected the management of the MSDs in various hospitals. Evidently, their conclusions illustrate how the age-related comorbidities increase the cases of MSDs among the aged and thus the need for effective management of the comorbidities and lifestyles towards improving the management of MSDs among the aged. Although the study answered the research question conclusively, an alternative conclusion would be: Improved lifestyle practices would help reduce the impact of comorbidities and obesity that increase the effects of MSDs among the aged. Further research is however recommended on the specific lifestyle improvements. A meta-analysis review is used to draw the conclusions.
References
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McPhail, S. M., Schippers, M., & Marshall, A. L. (2014). Age, physical inactivity, obesity, health conditions, and health-related quality of life among patients receiving conservative management for musculoskeletal disorders. Clinical Interventions In Aging, 1069. Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2012). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins |