6 comments to my peers – Applied Statistics for Health Care Professionals

Comment 1:

Experimental research involves two groups, a control vs experimental where the independent variable is changed. Randomized control trials compare the two groups where one group receives the experimental drug, treatment or procedure and other group has no change. A high degree of internal validity can be obtained through similar control and experimental groups. From the GCU library, Zhang et al, (2023) compares the use of solid liquid phase change and determined a causation through their experiment. The use of phase change materials reduces the peak temperature of the motor and greatly improves the overload capacity of the motor (Helbig, 2022). The experiment established a control and treatment group, and noted causation at the end of the experiment. This can be considered experimental if the groups are chosen at random. Quasi-experimental research compares the cause of the results with the control versus the treatment (Helbig, 2022). This type of experiment is looking at comparisons and similarities. For the experiment of solid liquid changes, it would only be comparing similarities during the experiment. Non experimental research, there is nothing new being added to the experiment. It is still comparing the two groups, but still no randomization or causation. The data collected can be retrospective or prospective and can be used to formulate a theory or as a foundation for a randomized control trial (Helbig, 2022). For the experiment from the GCU library, there would be no new product added to the experiment, only a way to organize the theory that using solid liquid reduces the peak temperature of a motor.

Comment 2:

Experimental research involves manipulating one variable to determine if changes in one variable cause changes in another variable. This type of research establishes cause and effect (BibliU – Reader. (n.d.). An example of experimental research in the article I chose is parallel randomized controlled trial, in which distribution to treatment groups is made on the basis of some randomization method, and each participant receives one (and only one) of the treatments being compared. Outcomes are compared across groups using a statistical method based on considerations such as number of groups to be compared, distribution and type of data size of sample and so on. This kind of experimental research is known to provide high levels of evidence (Stephenson, J. (2022)

Quasi-experimental research is similar to experimental. However, it lacks random assignment to control and experimental groups (BibliU – Reader. (n.d.). This article talks about how patients were assigned to groups depending on whether or not they were already receiving NPWT, rather than by random allocation as would be the case in an RCT (Stephenson, J. (2022).

Non-experimental research involves observing and analyzing without influencing participants (BibliU – Reader. (n.d.). An example of this fromt he article is  called single sample studies. One of the simplest, and possibly the most common study design in wound care, is the single sample study in which changes in patient outcomes between two time points are anylized normally baseline and some follow-up measure taken post-intervention (Stephenson, J. (2022).

Comment 3:

One study that comes to mind is the article by Boucher et al. (2018), which used an experimental design to investigate the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on stress and anxiety in medical students. In contrast, a quasi-experimental study by Lahti et al. (2019) looked at the effects of a physical exercise intervention on cognitive function in older adults, using a comparison group that did not receive the intervention. Finally, a non-experimental study by Jalali-Farahani et al. (2019) explored the relationship between physical activity and perceived stress among Iranian female adolescents, using a cross-sectional survey design.

In terms of evaluating the effectiveness of the research design, I believe that the experimental design used by Boucher et al. (2018) was appropriate for their research question, as it allowed them to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the intervention and the outcomes. However, the quasi-experimental design used by Lahti et al. (2019) had some limitations, such as the lack of random assignment to the intervention and comparison groups, which could have introduced selection bias. Overall, the choice of research design should depend on the research question and the feasibility of conducting the study in a particular setting.

Comment 4:

Qualitative research is an array of interpretative techniques which seek to describe, decode, translate and come to terms with the meaning, not the frequency of certain more or less naturally occurring phenomena in the social world (Al-Busaidi, 2008). It’s exploratory and seeks to understand underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides the insights into the problem and helps to develop ideas or hypotheses for potential quantitative research. Qualitative data collection methods vary using unstructured or semi-structured techniques. Some common methods include focus groups ( group discussions), individual interviews, and participation/observations.

Quantitative research is used to quantify the problem by way of generating numerical data or data that can be transformed into usable statistics. It is used to quantify opinions, behaviors, and and other defined variables – and generalized results from a larger  sample  population. Quantitative Research uses measurable data to formulate facts and uncover patterns in research (Fournier, 2023) Quantitative data collection methods are much more structured than Qualitative data collection methods. 

In my workplace, we used both qualitative and quantitative research in a project to improve patient’s satisfaction. We first conducted qualitative research through focus groups and interviews to understand the patient’s experiences, feelings, and perceptions. The insights from this research helped us to identify key areas for improvement. We then conducted quantitative research through surveys go gather measurable data on these key areas.. The data was  then analyzed to identify trends and patterns , which informed our strategies for improving patient’s satisfaction.

In a health care setting, these research findings can be incorporated in various ways. For instance, qualitative research  can be used to understand patient’s experiences and perceptions of care which can be inform improvements in patient-centered care. Quantitative research on the other hand, can be used to measure the effectiveness of these improvements by comparing patient satisfaction scores before and after the changes. This combination of qualitative and quantitative research understanding of the problem and inform evidence-based practice in health care.

Comment 5:

The goal of qualitative research is to get a better understanding of phenomena via in-depth examinations of people’s perspectives, actions, and experiences. In order to gather thorough and precise information, methods including focus groups, interviews, and observations are used throughout the process. In quantitative research, the goal is to assign a monetary value to trends, patterns, and correlations (H. E. Fischer et al., 2023). The backbones of this kind of research are statistical analysis and numerical data. It encompasses a wide range of methodologies, including statistical modeling, experiments, and surveys, in addition to other methods to quantitative data analysis. To ensure that you choose the appropriate research method for your study based on the questions and goals you have, it is imperative that you have a thorough understanding of these significant distinctions.

When it comes to gaining insights, making choices that are well-informed, and finding solutions to challenges, qualitative and quantitative research methodologies are widely applied in the working environments. In the beginning, qualitative research was used in order to get specific insights into the experiences that users had with the application that was already in place (Portz et al., 2019). Following the completion of the qualitative research, quantitative research was carried out in order to verify and generalize the results obtained from the primary study.

Comment 6:

Qualitative research is defined as data that can be separated into different categories that are distinguished by some non numeric characteristic. Some sources of qualitative data are interviews, focus groups, documents and observation (Qualitative vs. quantitative research: What’s the difference? GCU. (n.d.).  Quantitative research is defined as quantitative data consisting of numbers representing counts or measurements (Visual learner. (n.d.-a). Quantitative research requires different data collection methods. These methods include experiments, questionnaires, surveys and database reports (Qualitative vs. quantitative research: What’s the difference? GCU. (n.d.). 

    In the workplace and example of gathering qualitative data would be triaging a patient. On the maternity floor when triaging a patient we ask questions to find out if the patient is experiencing contractions, any leaking or bleeding, headaches, dizziness, visual disturbances, etc. These are all examples of Qualitative data that we are able to gather by asking the patients questions. These things are considered qualitative data because it is all non numeric data. An example of Quantitative data that we can collect are things like putting the fetal heart monitors on the mothers to measure baby’s heart rate as well as monitor contractions if they are experiencing any. Other quantitative data we can gather are things like vital signs and a nitrazine test to determine if a woman’s water broke. All of these things mentioned are Quantitative data because they give us a numerical measurement.