Evaluation of Research Design
Evaluation of research design requires the analysis of different components in the evaluation checklist to understand key aspects regarding the article. One of the main aspects to consider when evaluating the article is whether the type of design has been identified, which would be of value toward making it quantitative in nature. Houser (2018) highlights the need for researchers to identify the type of research design that they are using as part of their study as a way of trying to reach out to the readers. In this research study, Harris et al. (2013) identify the type of design used as quasi-experimental, which is a study design that helps in making conclusive findings regarding the subject of the study. Another key aspect to use as part of the evaluation process of the article is the determination that indeed the researchers identify the type of research as a randomized trial. In the research article, the researcher identified the study as a randomized trial considering the methodology and design implemented. The study involves randomly allocated services to two intervention groups, which included the early intervention and the late intervention group.
Houser (2018) also highlights the need for researchers to provide as much detail as possible as part building study effectiveness. In the research study, the researchers capitalized on the use of adequate information concerning the rational of the design decisions made. Providing adequate information is of great importance in this study considering that the researchers need to ensure that their readers are able to judge the rationale of the decisions. The implication that this is expected to have regarding the effectiveness of the article among individual readers is significant. The evaluation of a research article also considers whether the study included all the elements required for a quantitative and a qualitative study. Engaging in an effective study requires a researcher to focus on addressing all the significant elements. While considering this expectation, Harris et al. (2013) focus much of their attention on trying to address all the necessary elements that are necessary in undertaking a quantitative and a qualitative study. The ultimate expectation is that this would create a much better position through which to capitalize on the ability for readers to connect with the information presented.
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Houser (2018) highlights the need for having to determine whether the researcher provided clues of the specific design used in the study. In the research article, the researcher focused on the provision of clues on the aims of the study to allow the readers understand overall research design implemented. What is important to note is that the clues have been provided from the onset with the view that this would allows readers to have a much better connection to the article. Readers find themselves using the clues provided as part of building their understanding of the information presented as part of the article. The clues have a significant role in ensuring that the readers have a basic understanding of the overall study. In the research study, Harris et al. (2013) focused on the provision of detailed method section that involved all the necessary elements concerning the methodology used within the study. The provision of a detailed method section allows the readers to understand the nature of research methodologies that were implemented in the study. The expectation is that this would ensure that the readers are able to follow the progress made as part of the study to determine whether it is moving towards its set out objectives.
Another important aspect to consider as part of the evaluation of a study is whether the authors demonstrated systematic and rigorous approaches in controlling extraneous variables. The research article involved a detailed approach of the researchers in controlling extraneous variables through different controls in both the internal and external validity. An in-depth review of the article shows that the researchers understand the significance of research variables as part of any given research study. That provides them with a clear front through which to present the different variables that are being considered as part of the research study. On the other hand, it is important to consider whether the researchers focused on making proper interpretation of the results and does not make inferences, which goes beyond the obtained results. In the research study, the authors focused on ensuring that no cases of over-interpretation were made during the study and that the results were interpreted effectively. The expectation is that this would help provide readers with a much better and in-depth understanding of the results in a manner allowing them to apply the same.
Evaluation of Methods/Procedures and Results
Harris et al. (2013) make use of a section that has been labelled ‘Method,’ which allows readers to get a clear understanding of each test that the researchers were involved in conducting as a way of trying to determine the projected outcomes. The section explores different aspects associated with the intervention, which was designed to be implemented in two levels, which are service and client levels. Based on the analysis, it is clear that the article reflects on what would be described as a well structured approach through which to present the methods.
In the article, it is important to take note of the fact that the researchers have included a section that they list as ‘Results,’ which seems to be providing an in-depth quantitative analysis of the study. While considering that the study considers a total population of 804 clients, selected from multiple groups, the analysis provides readers with what can be considered as a basic an in-depth understanding of the baseline characteristics, readiness to change, and client self-reported risk factors among others (Harris et al., 2013). The study explores each of these aspects as part of the results section, which allows for an effective presentation of the study results to the readers.
The results section engages readers in trying to provide them a description of the most important results from the study while focusing on the individual variables that the study considers. Harris et al. (2013) make use of tables as one of the ways through which to present the results in a manner that would be much easier for the readers to understand, as the tables allow for information to be compounded in an effective way. The text used as part of this section helps in providing explanations to the data included as part of the table, as this serves as a guarantee that the readers would be in a much better position of connecting with the article. As one of the ways through which to test the statistics that are to be included as part of the results, the researchers make use of an alternate section that is named ‘Statistics Analysis,’ which is rather effective in its presentation of all variables.
Houser (2018) also highlights the need for having to consider the confidence intervals as some of the ways through which to determine how ‘close’ the results collected from a specific study were, which would help in estimating the magnitude effect. In this article, what can be noted is that the researchers are able to build on the confidence intervals through their presentation of the results from the study. The results seem to reflect on somewhat similar data regardless of the fact that they consider multiple variables. That supports the conclusion that indeed the results from this study can be considered as being both reliable and valid based on their presentation as part of the article.
Clinical Practice Implications
The study contributes to evidence-based practice (EBP) attributed to the fact that the researchers make use of a wide array of sources to support the information they gather as part of the study. Evidence-based practice (EBP) focuses more on the idea of having to make sure that researchers are able to make use of evidence as a key part of the studies with the intention being towards maximizing on their ability to support their arguments. In this article, Harris et al. (2013) make use of a wide array of data sources from the onset with the focus being towards ensuring that their study is well presented to its readers. Consequently, this seeks to suggest that indeed the article can be considered as being of great value towards highlighting the importance of evidence-based practice (EBP) in research studies.
Regarding its contribution to clinical practice, the study explores one of the key areas of consideration when dealing with health and wellness, which is on lifestyle interventions. Harris et al. (2013) engage in a study that seeks to evaluate the value and benefits associated with brief lifestyle interventions that are offered by community nurses. The whole idea around the study is to determine the impacts that community nurses are likely to have in seeking to improve on the lifestyles that their patients adopt. Consequently, this highlights the important role that the study is likely to play in seeking to push for brief lifestyle interventions. The expectation is that these interventions will be of value towards ensuring that individual patients are able to improve on health and wellness. The ultimate impact that expected is that this will help towards improving the role of community nurses in promoting wellness in the community setting.
References
Harris, M. F., Chan, B. C., Laws, R. A., Williams, A. M., Davies, G. P., Jayasinghe, U. W., ... & Milat, A. (2013). The impact of a brief lifestyle intervention delivered by generalist community nurses (CN SNAP trial). BMC Public Health , 13 (1), 375-386. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-375.
Houser, J. (2018). Nursing research: Reading, using and creating evidence , 4 th Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
