Experimental design for the nursing research proposal
This research uses quasi-experimental design. Quasi-experiments are studies that aim at evaluating interventions without using randomization. These experiments aim at establishing a connection between the intervention and outcome (Sullivan & Garland, 2010). The use of the quasi-experiment design is the most appropriate since the intervention often cannot be randomized in a hospital or public health setting. A quasi-experimental design offers an experimental design in which participants are not assigned randomly into different groups (Maltby, Williams, McGarry & Day, 2014). A quasi-experimental design is more frequently implemented than the randomized experiments.
Quasi-experimental designs are universal in the staffing levels of nursing staff aimed at providing a good patient to nurse ratio. This approach of quasi-experimental may lead to sounder research and more-convincing links between staffing and quality of patient care. In the study of staffing levels, the quasi-experimental design is often applied to gauge the benefits of certain interventions. Quasi-experimental studies encompass a broad range of non-randomized research studies (Sullivan & Garland, 2010).
The application of quasi-experimental models has increased in the study of staffing levels in medical disciplines due to higher demands to provide high quality patient care. Quasi-experimental design is used in this research to review, identify and establish a relationship between good nurse staffing and the quality of care and treatment given to the patients in the health care facilities (Grohar-Murray & Langan, 2011).
Choice of subjects for your research
Appropriate efforts should be taken to develop good nurse to patient ratio for the nursing staff. Staffing is the management activity that provides suitable and adequate personnel to fulfill the organization’s objective (Grohar-Murray & Langan, 2011). Staffing pattern plays an important role in the quality of care that nurses provide. It is important in the improvement of patient care because it allows management to hire and have an acceptable number of personnel that can provide quality and proper care to the patients.
Nurse staffing is a major concern in hospital based on the effects it can have on the quality of care and patient safety. Nursing-sensitive outcomes are indicators of quality of care. There is a broad association between low levels of nurse staffing and high rates of some adverse patient outcomes. The relationship between staffing levels in nursing and measures of patient safety is critical. Lower nurse-to-patient ratios are associated with higher rates of non-fatally adverse outcomes in patients. This is true at hospital and the nursing unit levels.
Recruiting participants for the research proposal
Recruiting participants for a research proposal will require making a list of the characteristics that the participants should present. The characteristics will include people suffering from a particular condition among others. Identification of the sample of the participants who meets the criteria will follow. This will be done from within the hospital environment and it will comprise of nurses who will provide information about the effects of inappropriate staffing levels. It will also consist of the nursing managers since they are in charge of hiring of the nurses as well as their schedules by which they work (Maltby, 2014).
Conclusion
This research will provide a good understanding of the relationship between staffing levels in nursing and quality of patient care given in health facilities. The growing needs of the patients require a good staff to patient ratio. A good nurse staffing will ensure there adequate number of nursing personnel to give good care to the patients in the nursing units (Linggi, 2012). The research is aimed at helping hospitals and their staff to address challenges and offer quality of care to the patient.
References
Grohar-Murray, M. E., & Langan, J. (2011). An Overview of Organization and Management. Leadership and Management in Nursing. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education
Linggi, D., & AMN Healthcare. (2012). 2012 survey of registered nurses: Job satisfaction, career patterns and trajectories. San Diego, CA: AMN Healthcare.
Maltby, J., Williams, G. A., McGarry, J., & Day, L. (2014). Research Methods for Nursing and Healthcare. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
Sullivan, E. J., & Garland, G. (2010). Practical leadership and management in nursing. Harlow, England: Pearson.
