Data Analysis and Critical Appraisal of Evidence

Data Analysis and Critical Appraisal of Evidence

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A research study may result in either qualitative data or quantitative data. If it is quantitative, it is numerical in form of numbers and thus the first tools of analyzing the data are the descriptive statistics. These are very essential in providing a summary of the pattern of findings. Descriptive statistics tools include measures of central tendency and measures of spread. Moreover, if the data collected is not in numerical form, then it has to be analyzed qualitatively. Whichever type of analysis adopted, the validity and reliability of the information produced from the analysis are very important (Golafshani, 2003). The reliability and validity of the measures used in research are significant indicators of the quality of the instruments used in the study. Relaibility is an important measure of the quality of the intsrumentation used since it helps in reducing the error as much as possible. According to DeVon et al (2007), validity of the instrument must be assessed to ensure that the instrument measures what it is supposed to measure. The instrument must be both valid and reliable. It must be correclty calibrated to be reliable. The number of subjects involved is of great importance since a large sample size reduces the error factor thereby increasing reliability and quality of the measures. This necessitates conducting power analysis to determine the effect that should be anticipated from the study- whether it will be significant or not. If the effect anticipated is large then the sample size must also be large enough.

As seen from the discussion above, the data collected could be either qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative analysis would require a highly experienced individual since the validity and reliability in this case may highly depend on the experience of the individual interprating the information or data. It would thus be appropriate to consult with an experienced individual in the nursing research. For my nursing practise, I would wish to investigate the relationship between nurse staffing and the patient outcome. This will mean that data must be collected and then anlyzed to draw a relationship between the two variables. This would imply that a data anlyst with experience must be consulted to provide guidence on whether the hypotheses are well set.

Reference:

DeVon H. A., Block M. E., Moyle-Wright P., Ernst D. M., Hayden S. J., Lazzara D. J., Savoy S. M, & Kostas-Polston E. (2007). A psychometric toolbox for testing validity and reliability. The Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 39 (2), 155–164. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqdweb?did=1303899241&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=70192&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Golafshani, N. (2003) Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research The Qualitative Report, 8, 4, 597-607