Question
MSN 602 ADVANCED THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING PRACTICE
AND RESEARCH
Module 1 Discussion
Building an Evidence-Based Study
Questions 1-9. Below is a description of a study’s
conceptual framework. Read the description and then answer
the following questions 1-9.
There is abundant evidence that adolescents are at especially high
risk of pregnancy complications and that their infants have a
higher-than-average rate of low birth weight and neonatal death.
Few studies, however, have examined the health status of children
of adolescent mothers after the first few weeks of life, but
findings suggest that these children continue to be at a health
disadvantage throughout their childhood. The purpose of this study
was to further explore factors that might lead to greater health
problems and less appropriate use of health care among children
born to adolescent mothers.
The theoretical framework for this study was the Health Belief
Model (HBM). This model postulates that health-seeking behavior is
influenced by the perceived threat posed by a health problem and
the perceived value of actions designed to reduce the threat
(Becker, 1978). Within the HBM, perceived susceptibility refers to
a person’s perception that a health problem is personally relevant.
It is hypothesized that young mothers, compared to older mothers,
are developmentally unable to perceive their own (or their
infant’s) susceptibility to health risk accurately. Furthermore,
adolescent mothers are hypothesized to be less likely, because of
their developmental immaturity, to perceive accurately the severity
of their infants’ health problems and less likely to assess
accurately the benefit of appropriate interventions than older
mothers. Finally, teenaged mothers are expected to evaluate less
accurately the costs (which, in the HBM, include the complexity,
duration, accessibility, and financial costs) of securing
treatment. Thus, because it is expected that adolescent mothers
perceive lower threat and less susceptibility to health problems
than older mothers, their children are at higher risk to health
problems. In summary, the HBM provides an excellent vehicle for
testing the mechanisms through which children of young mothers are
at higher-than-average risk of severe health problems and are less
likely to receive appropriate health care.
Is the framework for this study based on a conceptual model
of nursing? Explain.
Would the HBM be described as a shared theory? Explain.
Is the HBM a grand theory? Explain.
Was the HBM used as a basis for developing hypotheses in this
study? Explain.
Is the study qualitative or quantitative? Explain.
In the second paragraph, second sentence, the key “outcome”
of the model is specified. What is it? Explain.
In this study, the HBM will be tested with two groups. What
are they? Explain.
If the researcher’s hypotheses are not supported, would this
study disprove the HBM? Explain.
Given the problem statement, what other theory or conceptual
model could be used to guide the study? Explain why you chose
the other theory.
This question does not refer to the above items 1-9. As
part of your assigned readings you were to read the AACN MSN
Essentials. What is the purpose of the AACN Masters
Essentials?
List each of the nine Essentials and provide a statement in
your own words about the value of the each individual Essential to
advanced nursing practice.
MSN 602 ADVANCED THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING PRACTICE
AND RESEARCH
Module 2 Discussion
Nursing Conceptual Models and Borrowed Theories
Choose one of the conceptual models in your assigned reading
in your Alligood text and answer the following questions:
a. Name of the conceptual model; b. Core concepts
of the model; c. Describe a nursing situation in which
the model could be applied; and d. Describe how you would
apply your chosen model to the nursing situation to
facilitate a process improvement.
Choose a borrowed theory from either your Polit and Beck text
or the llterature which could be applied to a nursing research
article. Answer the following items: a. Name the
theory and the non-nursing discipline from which it comes;
b. Identify 3-4 of the core concepts of the theory; and
c. Explain why this theory might be a good fit from which to
develop a nursing research study.
Your assigned readings this week introduces you to the ways
of knowing in nursing written by Barbara Carper. This is a
seminal work in nursing. Answer the following
items: a. List the 4 patterns of knowing
according to Barbara Carper; b. Provide an example from
your practice for each of the 4 patterns; and c. What
are your thoughts about the pertinence of these patterns in nursing
today?
There are multiple learning theories as you read in the Zhou
& Brown chapter. Answer the following items: a.
Choose and identify the name of one of the learning theories from
the assigned reading of Zhou & Brown and
b. Develop a step-by-step program to decrease the frequency
of medical mistakes in a healthcare practice setting. Cite
the principles or key concepts from your chosen learning theory
that back each step of the program you develop.
MSN 602 ADVANCED THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING PRACTICE
AND RESEARCH
Module 3 & 4 Discussion
Quantitative Design
Read this fictitious study and then answer the questions that
follow:
Brusser and Joansy wanted to test the effectiveness of a new
relaxation/biofeedback intervention on menopausal symptoms.
They invited women who presented themselves in an outpatient clinic
with complaints of severe hot flashes to participate in the study
of the experimental treatment. These 50 women were asked to
record, every day for 3 weeks before the intervention, the
frequency and duration of their hot flashes. The intervention
involved five 1-hour sessions over a period of 1 week. Then
for 3 weeks after the treatment the women were asked to record
their hot flashes again every day. At the end of the
study, Brusser and Joansy found that both the frequency and average
duration of the hot flashes had been significantly reduced in this
sample of 50 women. They concluded that their intervention
was an effective therapy in treating menopausal hot
flashes.
What is the independent variable in this study?
What are the dependent variables in this study?
Was there random assignment in this study?
Is the design experimental, quasi-experimental,
pre-experimental, or nonexperimental?
What is the specific name of the design used in this study?
Is the study design within subjects or between subjects?
Was there blinding in this study?
Provide at least one way in which this study could have been
improved based on your chapter readings.
Here is a brief summary of the data collection plan of a
fictitious study. Read the summary and then respond to the
questions that follow.
Traina conducted a study to investigate the relationship
between adults’ blood pressure and their suppression of
anger. Data were gathered from a sample of 347 healthy men
and women aged 22 to 60 who were members of a gym in Washington
DC. Subjects completed two paper and pencil scales: The
Feeling of Anger Scale and the Expression of Anger Scale. The
scales used a 9 point rating scales. Responses to each scale
were summed to yield a total score for each variable. The
subjects’ BP was measured by nurses using zero calibrated aneroid
sphygmomanometers. Weight was measured with subjects wearing
only gym shorts and a t-shirt on an upright scale to the nearest
10th of a pound. Heights was measured without shoes, feet
together. All instruments were assessed at being below the
eighth grade level. The results indicated for both men and
women higher diastolic and systolic BP was associated with higher
levels of suppressed anger even when various variables were
statistically controlled.
Which of the following types of data were collected in this
study (self-report, observation, biophysiologic, records)?
Were the data collection methods structured or unstructured?
For which variables did Traina NOT derive numeric
information?
Which of the following specific methods were used
(likert-type scale, semantic differential scale, event history
calendar, rank-order questions, Q-sort)?
Which type of data collection was used: telephone interview,
personal interview, web-based interview, or self-administered
questionnaire?
Was readability assessed? At what level?
Provide at least one way that data collection and measurement
effort be improved in this study based on your readings.
MSN 602 ADVANCED THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING PRACTICE
AND RESEARCH
Module 5 Discussion
Clinical Questions
Choose a problem or issue that you anticipate within your
future advanced nursing role. Describe this problem in 5
sentences or less.
Formulate a clinical question using the PICOT format. This
question will drive the literature search for your
issue.
To support and assist in choosing and writing your PICOT in
question 1 of this discussion board, you should have reviewed a
minimum of 6-10 articles with at least one being a quantitative
design. List the 6-10 articles here as a response to this #3
question. The articles should be in alphabetical order and
each article should be listed as a full citation using the APA
format.
Choose one of those articles cited in #3 above that is a
quantitative article and use the guide in Box 4.3 of Polit
and Beck text to critique the research problem, research question,
and hypothesis in the article (page 84). Answer each of
the 8 questions and discuss the relationship of this article to
your PICOT.
MSN 602 ADVANCED THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING PRACTICE
AND RESEARCH
Module 7 Discussion
The Future of Nursing Theory
Describe what the following quote means to you. “Theory
without practice is empty and practice without theory is blind”
(*Cross, 1981, p. 110).
Explore the Sigma website. Based on your
exploration of the Sigma Theta Tau International website, provide
3 specific examples of the globalization of nursing. At
least one example must include an example of an internationally
written article from the most recent issue of the Journal of
Nursing Scholarship. You can access this journal from the
Sigma website.
Share the three most important concepts that you learned this
7 week term.
What were the two most challenging activities for you
confronted in this course? What suggestions do you have
related to addressing those challenges?
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