Evaluation of sampling methods in research reported in selected clinical nursing journals: Implications for nursing practice

Evaluation of sampling methods in research reported in selected clinical nursing journals: Implications for nursing practice

APRIL 1991, VOL. 53, NO4 ment function in the PACU. Interventions to warm the patient should be based on this assessment. Nurses usually choose the m...

179KB Sizes 1 Downloads 143 Views

APRIL 1991, VOL. 53, NO4

ment function in the PACU. Interventions to warm the patient should be based on this assessment. Nurses usually choose the method and the instrument to measure body temperature. This decision must be based on scientific data. This study provides perioperative nurses with initial data to study their own patient populations. AILEENR. KILLEN, RN, MS, CNOR CHAIRMAN NURSING RESEARCH COMMITTEE

NURSING RESEARCH Evaluation of sampling methods in research reported in selected clinical nursing journals: Implications for nursing practice M L Selby et a1 Journal of Professional Nursing Vol 6 (March/April 1990) 76-85 Nurses are expected to incorporate nursing research findings into their individual practices to improve the quality of their practices. It also is imperative that nurses critically evaluate the research methodology and its effect on the results. The quality of sampling in nursing research studies read by practicing nurses was examined in this study. Other professional disciplines regularly evaluate the quality of their published research to identify the need for revisions in education, research, and publishing practices. Most critical reviews of nursing research have not been based on scientific assessment. The few that were based on scientific reviews, however, showed deficiencies in the conduct or reporting of sampling from studies that were published in some prestigious nursing research journals. This research study is a first step in evaluating the quality of sampling methods for published research in clinical nursing journals. The standards that govern the conduct and reporting of sampling methods were the scientific bases for this study. A 144-item instrument, the Research Assessment Form (RAF), was developed to assess adherence to these standards and

AORN JOURNAL

to detect deficiencies in sampling methods. The sampling frame (ie, target population) for this pilot study was all the research articles published in 1986 in five clinical nursing journals (Public Health Nursing, Heart & Lung, Journal of Gerontological Nursing, Neonatal Nursing, and Oncology Nursing Forum). Thirty articles (ie, six from each journal) were selected from the 130 sampling frame using a table of random numbers. This study focused on 28 R A F items that concentrated on sampling methods and human subjects and descriptive data about the number of authors, degrees, and type of funding for research. To identify variations from the standards, descriptive statistics were calculated. The goal was to determine the percentage of studies with major deficiencies. This research found that 29 (97%) of the 30 clinical research articles contained a major deficiency in the sample methodology. These deficiencies included: 1) unclear or unstated sampling method; 2) unclear or unstated sampling frame, sample size, number of refusals, withdrawals, andlor cases lost; 3) no stated limitations of sample; and 4) inappropriate generalizations for the sampling method. A limitation of this pilot study was the small stratified sample that prevents generalization to each separate journal or to any other year. In addition, only the published research was evaluated and it is possible that some information was omitted because of length restrictions. In general, the findings of this pilot study identify patterns that suggest serious problems in the conduct and reporting of sampling. Results indicate that many researchers would benefit from more education in sampling. Regular evaluations of published research are necessary to improve the quality of nursing research. Perioperative nursing implications. The leaders in perioperative nursing encourage and support the use of clinical research in perioperative nursing to improve patient care. As perioperative nurses become actively involved in clinical nursing research, resources must be available to promote quality nursing research. Perioperative nurses should be familiar with 1067

AORN JOURNAL

resources at their institutions, colleges and universities, and their professional organization (ie, AORN). Perioperative nurses must be familiar with these resources and need to use the available research experts. As perioperative nurses become more educated in evaluating research methodology and more actively involved in conducting quality perioperative nursing research, their ability to identify high quality nursing research will increase, and nursing practice will improve. JANEH. JOHNSON, RN, MSN, CNOR NURSING RESEARCH COMMITTEE

MANAGEMENT Nurses and shift work: Effects on physical health and mental depression J K Skipper, Jr, F D Jung, L C Coffey Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol 15 (August 1990) 835-842 More than 25% of the labor force in the United States works a shift other than the day shift. Most clinical nurses employed by hospitals are required to work some evening and night shifts. Research has shown that shift work can adversely affect many aspects of nurses’ health and well-being. The negative effects of shift work have been found in workers’ physical and mental health, job performance, and social relationships. Circadian rhythm desynchronization has been implicated as a significant factor that may cause negative physical and mental alterations in nurses who work a variety of shifts. Sleep/ wake disorders, gastrointestinal problems, emotional problems, and disruptive family and social relationships are more common in shift workers than in those who work during the day. This study had two alternative models. The first suggested that shift work influences both the physical and mental health of nurses in such a way as to negatively affect family and social relationships and work-related variables. The second model suggested the opposite (ie, shift 1068

APRIL 1991, VOL. 53, NO 4

work affects social and work-related variables that in turn affect the nurses’ physical and mental health). Questionnaires were sent to 882 RNs at five hospitals in the southeastern United States. The questionnaires were designed to measure the respondents’ physical health, mental depression, family relations, informal social participation, participation in voluntary organizations, engagement in solitary activities, job performance, and job-related stress. Responses were received from 482 (52.6%) nurses. The study was designed to measure the effects of shift work on women; therefore, the 19 responses from male nurses were excluded. The results showed that shift work did not significantly influence family relationships. This finding contradicts past research that indicates shift work disrupts family routines. No association was found between shift work and informal social participation. Shift work was found to be related to other variables. Nurses who worked the afternoon shift were less likely to work for volunteer organizations. Those nurses also spent more time in solitary activities. Day shift nurses had the highest perceptions of their job performance, followed by the afternoon, night, and rotating shift nurses. The rotating shift nurses experienced the most job-related stress, followed by the afternoon, day, and night shift nurses. Afternoon shift nurses received the most sleep, followed by day and rotating shift nurses who received the same amount, and night shift nurses who obtained the least sleep. There were n o significant correlations between shift work and the nurses’ physical health or between shift work and signs of depression. Past research, however, has shown that shift work can have negative effects. The researchers did find that the self-selection factor may produce a positive effect for working a variety of shifts. Nurses who were able to select the shifts they wished to work had fewer physical and emotional problems. Some nurses prefer to work different shifts and enjoy the periodic change.