NR505 – Advance Research Method: Evidence-based Practice
Week 1 Lesson
Introduction: Levels of Evidence and Research Paradigms
The Theory-Practice-Research Cycle | Levels of Evidence—Quantitative Research | Levels of Evidence—Qualitative Research | Secondary Sources | Asking a Research Question—A Review | Summary | References
Basing nursing practice on the latest evidence for providing care is crucial. Evidence-based practice includes asking appropriate research questions; searching for relevant research; reading and analyzing the research; and developing safe, effective interventions. In this lesson, we will also discuss the importance of theory as related to research and practice, various types of research, and how nurses can find evidence related to practice.
The Theory-Practice-Research Cycle
TOP OF PAGE
Three important areas are essential elements of the nursing role: nursing theory, nursing practice, and nursing research (Polit & Beck, 2011). The relationships among these three elements are illustrated on the left. It is important to recognize that in practice, this circle can be entered at any point.
Theories about what may be causing a particular problem or what nursing interventions would be effective for that problem arise from practice and experience and are tested in research. The results of the research form new theories, which are then translated into practice through clinical practice guidelines and protocols of care. These guidelines and protocols are then tested in practice and revised if necessary.
The relationships among theory, practice, and research are interwoven in a report of research. To illustrate these relationships, research articles typically have five parts (Polit & Beck, 2011).
1. Introduction: In the Introduction section, researchers describe the problem they are studying and why they think it is a problem. They introduce a theory or conceptual base for studying the problem by identifying the variables that are...