Qualitative Research Appraisal

Qualitative research is subjective data and is often used in the social sciences (Sarantakos 2013, p. 48). Qualitative research is devoted to gathering facts, this can be completed through personal experiences, behaviours, and observations (Sarantakos 2013, p. 46). The purpose of qualitative research is to gather an in depth understanding of human behaviour and the explanations for the behaviour (Martijn & Sharpe 2006, p. 1). An issue with only using a qualitative method is efficacy, qualitative studies cannot address relationships between variables with the degree of accuracy that is required to establish social trends (Sarantakos 2013, p. 46).

Qualitative research key characteristics are the researcher immerse her/himself in the setting, contexts of inquiry are not contrived they are natural, want the subjects to speak for themselves, attend to the experience as a what not as separate variables, these is no one general method, the process entail appraisal about what was studied and it implies a direct concern with expertise as it is lived or felt or undergone (Hughes, 2006)

Nurses are responsible in providing holistic, quality care to their clients. In order to effectively provide such care Boswell and Cannon (2009, p. 2 & 7) states that nurses must base their provision of care on the most current, up-to-date health information available and sound nursing knowledge. This is where evidence-based practice (EBP) comes in. Polit and Beck (2010, p. 4) defined EBP as "the use of the best clinical evidence in making patient care desicions". This usually comes from research conducted by nurses and other healthcare professionals. Thus it is pertinent that research reports are critically analyzed.

Qualitative research is subject to judgments about the data and synthesizes the findings using specialized approaches such as experimental or non-experimental. Researchers often opt to use non-experimental approaches in studies using surveys, interviews, observations, and case studies. Even though an experimental approach is appropriate in quantitative research, it further enables researchers to find answers and collect data (Bagozzi & Yi, 2012). This approach is unique in its hypotheses and the study of behavior, making it valid and reliable.

Quantitative studies usually contain scientific methodology to define proper sample size, several plans to control for possible mistakes during data collection, and difficult statistical analysis of the data (Conner, 2014). Moreover, quantitative data offers not only the empiric perceptive required for practice but also, supports the personal and experiential knowing critical for practice. Qualitative research presents its discoveries through participants' words and stories, which are easily, applied to nursing care practices. Nurses are attracted to qualitative research because its methods and findings often follow the art of nursing practice, where understanding the whole patient and knowing patients individually matters (Donze, Broede, 2010).

This study was involved in the LAS-II (a multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial). There was an intervention group, receiving the CADL, as well as a control group, receiving the normal ADL intervention. Chosen for the study in LAS-II were those treated for an acute stroke in a stroke unit less than three months or three months after the stroke occurred. In addition, those eligible for the study had to have met the following conditions: be dependent in at least two ADL’s, not having been diagnosed with dementia, able to fully understand and follow instructions, were referred for rehabilitation to one of the 16 units participating in LAS-II. In this study, the occupational therapists were participants recruited as well. Out of 44 occupational therapists’ that attended five

The stated purpose of the article was to evaluate not only pain control in adolescents who underwent a spinal fusion, but also the emotional/psychological and physical affect it had on them. Another stated purpose was to uncover the pre-operation education and preparedness for the surgery. Is it enough to prepare

A qualitative study delves into a social or human problem in hopes to formulate a theory about that phenomenon. Paterson et al. (2005) performed a qualitative study that formulated a theory on how male nursing students learn to care. The researchers discovered how and what aspects perpetuated males to learn to care for patients empathetically while in nursing school. This paper will critique the above study noted and provide rationales.

Qualitative research is a broad field of inquiry that uses unstructured data collection methods, such as observations, interviews, surveys and documents, to find themes and meanings to inform our understanding of the

According to Young and Solomon (2009) critical appraisal is a systematic process which can identify both, the strengths and weaknesses of a research study. During this process the reader is able to assess studies’ usefulness and whether or not the findings are trustworthy, it also supports in decision making in terms of whether to apply the study’s results in practice

Your post about the article on grounded theory was very informative. Grounded theory is a systematic method of qualitative inquiry and is time-consuming, complex process than a phenomenological study. The researcher has to start the process based on a search or interest but does not have to formulate the design or the research question. The nurse researcher has to be open to allow patterns or theories to emerge but should think in advance about basic ethical concerns such as consent and confidentiality (Engward, 2013).

Qualitative research is conducted in a natural setting and attempts to understand a human problem by developing a holistic narrative and reporting detailed views of informants about the culture of a problem. It forms a report with pictures and words. One of the most important distinctions that sets qualitative research apart from more traditional types of research is that qualitative research is holistic in that researchers study phenomena in their entirety rather than narrowing the focus to specific defined variables” (p. 93). Similarly, Cresswell (1984) indicated that qualitative research “is defined as an inquiry process of understanding a social or human problem, based on building a holistic picture, formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants, and conducted in a natural setting” (p. 2). Cresswell’s definition clearly delineates the major characteristics of qualitative research. Pg. 50 (Smith & Davis, 2010).

According to Kothari (2008) qualitative research is concerned with qualitative phenomena which are related to or involve quality or kind. Qualitative research engages the collection and analysis of non-numerical data obtained from experiments, interviews, observations, and other resources involving statements and arguments. Research is conducted into particular context and non-numerical interpretive approach is used to produce narrative description of research data. Unlike quantitative research, this type of research considers the underlying facts behind the establishment of particular behaviors and assumptions. It is commonly used in behavioural sciences where the aim of research is to discover underlying motives of human behaviour.

Qualitative research is the technique that is used as a part of exploratory research and to derive the independent variables. There are different methods through which we can conduct the qualitative research. As a part of this study we have adopted the following methods:

Qualitative research is a technique of promoting research that stresses the quality according to the user’s point of view and approaches. In depth interviews and focus groups are best examples of qualitative research. [Laura Lake, 2009]