Describe how the data collection method reflects the purpose of the needs assessment
The data collection process is crucial for the needs assessment. It is necessary because it helps to evaluate, clarify, and amend patients’ needs. Moreover, data collection certifies the fact that previously unknown information is obtained (Oermann & Gaberson, 2013). It may also happen that not all nurses accepted that data as a fact. The data collection process reflects the purpose of the needs assessment in terms of the relevance of the information that is obtained throughout the research process.
The relevance may be different for diverse members of the crew (Altschuld & Watkins, 2014). For instance, the data may be reflected by the number of patients with diabetes compared to the number of patients with heart disease. Different data collection methods help the researcher to perceive the obtained information differently. Qualitative data is more focused on the premises of certain events, and quantitative data is focused on the analysis of the obtained data (Altschuld & Watkins, 2014). Nonetheless, both these data collection methods require time and resources. Therefore, the nurse has to find the balance between understanding the patient’s needs and addressing their needs with an eye on the data collection method and corresponding findings.
Discuss any feedback you have received from your practicum site
The feedback that I have received from the practicum site reflects the idea that nursing research majorly depends on both methods of data collection. Nonetheless, the administration is more interested in obtaining precise numeric data to be able to identify the existing trends in various diseases and come up with appropriate treatment plans. On the other hand, the administration at my practicum site realizes the importance of qualitative research and its significance for evidence-based practice. It is safe to say, though, that qualitative data collection methods are not very popular among the nurses at this facility.
How are reliability and validity measured for quantitative data?
The reliability and validity of quantitative data are measured in several ways.
First, the researcher should pay attention to content validity. This means that the measurement tool should measure the required indicators correctly (Gerrish & Lacey, 2012). Sometimes, the researcher may even address other individuals so that they provide feedback concerning the correctness of the obtained data. The nurse may also ask several experts in the area to evaluate the reliability and validity of the obtained data. Second, the researcher is interested in criterion validity.
The latter is usually presented by a correlation coefficient (if the coefficient value is high, the data may be considered reliable and valid). Third, the researcher may address the hypothesis validity. In this case, the nurse is interested in finding the correlations between related areas throughout the measurement process and testing the relationship between the measurement and the underlying hypothesis (Parahoo, 2013).
The reliability and validity of the data are then evaluated based on the tests that are designed to identify the factors that influence the performance within the framework of a working environment (Parahoo, 2013). In this case, the measurement of validity and reliability of the quantitative findings is also connected to the correlation coefficient (high coefficient value is equal to valid findings).
How is trustworthiness measured for qualitative data?
Several important criteria should be taken into consideration when measuring the trustworthiness of qualitative data. First, it is important to define the credibility of the findings and check if all the background data was considered (Wheeler & Holloway, 2010). Second, the researcher should assess the transferability of the data. This means that the findings of the data should allow the researcher to perform a comparison of the current and previous findings (Chesnay, 2015).
Third, the researcher is required to measure the dependability of the obtained data. This process presupposes the application of overlapping methods and the provision of thorough methodological descriptions (Chesnay, 2015). Fourth, the researcher measures the trustworthiness of the data using its confirmability. This helps the investigators to recognize the limitations of the study and measure the integrity of the obtained data.
References
Altschuld, J. W., & Watkins, R. (2014). Needs assessment: Trends and a view toward the future. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Chesnay, M. (2015). Nursing research using grounded theory: Qualitative designs and methods in nursing. New York, NY: Springer.
Gerrish, K., & Lacey, A. (2012). The research process in nursing. Philadelphia, PA: Blackwell Publishing.
Oermann, M. H., & Gaberson, K. B. (2013). Evaluation and testing in nursing education. New York, NY: Springer.
Parahoo, K. (2013). Nursing research: Principles, process, and issues. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan.
Wheeler, S., & Holloway, I. (2010). Qualitative research in nursing and healthcare. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.