Evidence-Based Nursing Study and Its Methods Essay

Study Design

The project focuses on reducing the incidence of falls among elderly patients in hospitals. The two main dependent variables that will be considered in the research are the incidence of falls and patient outcomes. As both of these variables can be quantified, the project would benefit from utilizing a quantitative methodology. A quantitative research design is particularly relevant to nursing interventions, as it allows reviewing larger volumes of data and thus permits generalizing the results to other settings (McCusker & Gunaydin, 2015). The project will consist of an intervention aimed at reducing falls among elderly patients. No policy changes will be implemented during the project. The proposed study will use surveys and hospital records as the principal sources of information, as this would provide both objective and subjective data for analysis. While hospital records can indicate the incidence of falls and patient outcomes, surveys will focus on nurses’ perceptions of the intervention and its effectiveness. This would allow producing a comprehensive overview of the intervention.Evidence-Based Nursing Study and Its Methods Essay

Study Sample

The project will take place in a hospital setting, and thus the target population for this study is elderly patients receiving in-patient treatment. The inclusion criteria are senior age (65 and older) and patients’ state of consciousness. Unconscious patients, receiving treatment in an intensive care unit, or physically unable to move from a lying position will be excluded from the sample. Choosing an appropriate sample size is critical to ensuring the success of the study (Hayat, 2013). The sample size of 200 patients would be sufficient for the research, as it will enable generalizing the results to other elderly patient populations. The study will also involve 30 nurses who will be completing surveys. The nurse leaders agreed to provide support for the project, which means that nurses will help in recruiting participants and provide information from hospital records about patient falls and outcomes.Evidence-Based Nursing Study and Its Methods Essay