DISCUSSION RESPONSE
Read statement below. In response peer, identify potential threats to the validity of the research example. If the study can still be considered valid, how might the results be used to change nursing practice?
Quantitative research is based on facts, numerical data, and statistics to prove or disprove a hypothesis (Polit & Beck, 2021). The outcome of quantitative research is easily quantifiable and can be clearly indicated by objective data.
Quantitative research answers the questions how much and how many. Quantitative research uses structured and validated data collection methods to obtain precise measurements. The study “Incidence of Burnout Syndrome in Nursing Professionals in Intensive Therapy Unit” by Silva et al., (2020) is an example of quantitative research.
This study uses a correlational design to explore the relationship between two variables. The two variables explored in this study are burnout syndrome and intensive therapy units. According to Polit and Beck, (2021) correlation can be identified through statistical analysis.
Advantages of the correlational design include the ability to efficiently collect large amounts of data about a problem, ability to show the strength of the relationship between the two variables and manipulation of the variables being studied is not required.
The main disadvantages of correlation research design are that correlation does not indicate cause and effect and the variables can not be manipulated.
Statistical conclusion validity measures the degree to which conclusions about the relationship between variables based on the data are true. Low statistical power is a threat to statistical conclusion validity in that it cannot detect true relationships between the variables (Polit & Beck, 2021).
For instance, small sample may not provide accurate data to show the relationship between the variables being studied. For a study to be successful in influencing evidence-based practice, it must provide accurate information that is valid and reliable.
Any threats to validity of a study can skew the results and/or conclusion of the study. Evidence-based practice relies on accurate, valid, and reliable studies to improve the way care is given and improve patient outcomes.