Planning for Data Collection

Respond to the post bellow using one or more of the following approaches:

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, and evidence.

Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.

Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from  the classroom or from your own review of the literature in the Walden  Library.

Validate an idea with your own experience and additional sources.

Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from the readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.

                                 Planning for Data Collection

Evidence-based  practice is a theory that consists of using research to guide decision  making in clinical and nursing settings.  For research to be reliable  and have validity a significant amount of data collection must first be  collected.  Whether a research project is using quantitative,  qualitative, or mixed-methods design, it is essential to determine what  types of information is needed.  Due to the emphasis on patient  satisfaction in the healthcare world at this time, it is crucial to  evaluate how that care is being delivered (Krietz, Winters &  Pedowitz, 2016).  In this post, I will discuss using a survey method to  obtain information representative of the population within a clinic  setting.

In  the example, I am a nurse working in a local primary care facility  which sees thousands of patients annually.  To make better clinical  decisions regarding patient care and satisfaction, five questions have  been created to elicit feedback.  The questions are as follows:

1. Did you feel the wait time to be seen in the office was appropriate?  
2. During your visit, did you feel the nurses and staff listened to your concerns and treated you with courtesy and respect? 
3. Did the provider spend enough time listening, discussing care, and answering your questions? 
4. Based on your experience today, would you recommend our clinic to someone you know? 
5. In your opinion, what could our clinic have done better? 

To  obtain structured data that is self-reported and applicable to the  clinic’s objectives, it is vital to determine which instrument would  work best for the clientele.  Self-report methods can extract  information from patients that might otherwise be difficult to get  (Polit & Beck, 2017).  Allowing the freedom to report their  experiences and feelings increases confidence in the clinic’s desire to  meet their needs.  If researchers know what data they want to obtain, a  structured approach with some open-ended and closed questions can garner  the information needed to make significant changes (Polit & Beck,  2017). Using a mixture of questions is an attempt to include all  patients.

For  this scenario, the questionnaire is a sampling of both types of  questions and is the most popular method (Keough & Tanabe, 2011).   The study will be given to individuals 18 and over.  The questionnaire  and a pen will be given to the patient by the nurse prior at the start  of their appointment with the physician. An explanation of the  questionnaire will be provided with instructions to return their  questionnaire to the drop-box on the countertop in the room after their  exam. The goal for participation is 500 patient responses over six  months.   Responses will be collected and responses logged into the  computer on Fridays by the nurse manager.  After the six months, results  will be calculated, and staff will be informed of the results and  clinical implications for patient care.

Implementing  change processes requires the support of clinical staff and providers.   Since patient care is seen as an essential component of healthcare,  working together as a staff to create a warm, friendly, and improved  patient experience is the ultimate objective (McNicholas et al., 2017).   With excellent leadership and teamwork, the clinic can attain staff  satisfaction and patient satisfaction simultaneously.

References

Keough, V.A., & Tanabe, P. (2011). Survey research: An effective design for conducting nursing research. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 1(4), 37-44. doi:/10.1016/S2155-8256(15)30315-X

Krietz, T., Winters, B., & Pedowitz, D.  (2016). The influence of wait time on patient satisfaction in the  orthopedic clinic. Journal of Patient Experience, 3(2), 39-42. doi:/10.1177/2374373516652253

McNicholas, A., McCall, A., Werner, A.,  Wounderly, R., Marichak, E., & Jones, P. (2017). Improving patient  experience through nursing satisfaction. Journal of Trauma Nursing, 24(6), 371-375. doi:/10.1097/JTN.0000000000000328

Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2017). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (10th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.