IDENTIFYING RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES

 

 

 


Is there a difference between “common practice” and “best practice”?
When you first went to work for your current organization, experienced colleagues may have shared with you details about processes and procedures. Perhaps you even attended an orientation session to brief you on these matters. As a “rookie,” you likely kept the nature of your questions to those with answers that would best help you perform your new role.
Over time and with experience, perhaps you recognized aspects of these processes and procedures that you wanted to question further. This is the realm of clinical inquiry.
Clinical inquiry is the practice of asking questions about clinical practice. To continuously improve patient care, all nurses should consistently use clinical inquiry to question why they are doing something the way they are doing it. Do they know why it is done this way, or is it just because we have always done it this way? Is it a common practice or a best practice?
identify clinical areas of interest and inquiry and practice searching for research in support of maintaining or changing these practices. You will also analyze this research to compare research methodologies employed.


• Review the Resources and identify a clinical issue of interest that can form the basis of a clinical inquiry. Keep in mind that the clinical issue you identify for your research will stay the same for the entire course. 
• Based on the clinical issue of interest and using keywords related to the clinical issue of interest, search at least four different databases in the Walden Library to identify at least four relevant peer-reviewed articles related to your clinical issue of interest. You should not be using systematic reviews for this assignment, select original research articles.
• Review the results of your peer-reviewed research and reflect on the process of using an unfiltered database to search for peer-reviewed research.
• Reflect on the types of research methodologies contained in the four relevant peer-reviewed articles you selected.

• A brief (1-paragraph) statement explaining why you chose this peer-reviewed article and/or how it relates to your clinical issue of interest, including a brief explanation of the ethics of research related to your clinical issue of interest.
• A brief (1-2 paragraph) description of the aims of the research of each peer-reviewed article.
• A brief (1-2 paragraph) description of the research methodology used. Be sure to identify if the methodology used was qualitative, quantitative, or a mixed-methods approach. Be specific.
• A brief (1- to 2-paragraph) description of the strengths of each of the research methodologies used, including reliability and validity of how the methodology was applied in each of the peer-reviewed articles you selected.

 

 

Synthesizing Core ConceptsMy initial research has successfully established the core definitions. I found that 'common practice' is a usual or accepted way of doing things, whereas 'best practice' is a method that has been proven to produce optimal results and is supported by high-quality evidence. The key difference lies in the reliance on rigorous, evidence-based research to validate and establish a 'best practice.'The Role of Evidence-Based PracticeI'm synthesizing a new insight that Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is the crucial link between clinical inquiry and best practice. EBP is described as a systematic process of integrating the latest research findings, clinical expertise, and patient preferences to make informed decisions. It's a problem-solving approach that helps clinicians move beyond tradition and personal beliefs to provide the most effective care.Identifying a Path ForwardI'm continuing to refine my approach to address all aspects of the user's request. I've found a good starting point for understanding different research methodologies and their evaluation, but I need to dive deeper into the specifics of analyzing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches, including their strengths and weaknesses. I'm also planning to search for more specific, concrete examples of a common practice being replaced by a best practice, as my initial search was too general. Finally, I will also begin to research the ethical considerations of clinical research to address that part of the request.

Sample Answer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

nderstanding the core conceptsI'm starting my research to differentiate between 'common practice' and 'best practice.' I'll begin by looking for the foundational definitions of these terms in a general context and then specifically within the healthcare and clinical fields. I'm thinking through how a 'best practice' is formally established, which will likely involve exploring the role of evidence-based practice (EBP).Framing the research and its methodologyTo provide a comprehensive answer, I'll need to explore how best practices are supported by research. This involves looking into different research methodologies like qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches. My goal is to understand how these methodologies are used to inform and validate best practices, as well as how their reliability and validity are assessed.