Conduct A Database Search For A Quasi-Experimental Study

Conduct A Database Search For A Quasi Experimentalstudy That Pertai

Conduct a database search for a quasi-experimental study that pertains to professions in the healthcare or business field. Examine the study and describe how the study is similar to an experimental study. What confounds, if any, did you identify? Describe any threats to internal or external validity you identified. Discuss whether pre-experimental designs were part of the overall research design. Assuming that the study consisted of measures that were both reliable and valid, what are some implications of this research for individuals in healthcare and/or business? Look at all the (>) be sure to answer all of the questions. *Please include the questions and your answers. Please write in complete sentences and use 12 font. APA Format, and provide references.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Quasi-experimental studies are prevalent in healthcare and business research, offering a flexible approach to investigate causal relationships when random assignment is not feasible. This paper examines a selected quasi-experimental study within the healthcare field, comparing it to true experimental designs, identifying potential confounds and validity threats, and discussing its implications for professionals in healthcare and business sectors.

Selected Study and Its Similarities to Experimental Studies

The chosen study investigates the effect of a new patient care protocol on patient satisfaction scores in a hospital setting. The research employed a nonequivalent control group design, wherein one hospital implemented the new protocol while a comparable hospital continued standard care. Like true experimental studies, this research involved manipulation of an independent variable—the care protocol—and measured its impact on a dependent variable, patient satisfaction. Randomization was absent, but the study maintained a control group and attempted to control extraneous variables through matching hospitals on key characteristics, aligning it with the fundamental structure of experimental research, albeit lacking random assignment.

Potential Confounds

Despite attempts to control extraneous factors, certain confounds were evident. Differences in staff experience or patient demographics between hospitals could have influenced satisfaction scores independently of the care protocol. Additionally, variations in hospital resources or management practices might have affected outcomes. These confounds threaten the internal validity, as they could influence the observed relationship between the intervention and patient satisfaction outcomes independently of the protocol.

Threats to Internal and External Validity

Internal validity threats included selection biases due to non-random group assignment, which might result in pre-existing differences influencing outcomes. External validity could be compromised if the findings from these two hospitals are not generalizable to other healthcare settings. Factors such as hospital size, geographic location, or patient populations may limit the applicability of results beyond the studied institutions. Additionally, the Hawthorne effect—altered behavior due to awareness of being studied—may have biased patient responses.

Pre-experimental Designs in the Research

The study incorporated a quasi-experimental design, which is a type of pre-experimental design, since it lacked randomization and sometimes lacked a control group (Shadish, Cook, & Campbell, 2002). Specifically, it was an intact-group design, where the intervention was implemented in a specific setting without a pre-test baseline measurement before the intervention, indicating a pre-experimental element within the overall research strategy.

Implications for Healthcare and Business Professionals

Assuming the measures used in the study were reliable and valid, this research has meaningful implications for healthcare professionals. It suggests that implementing patient-centered care protocols can improve satisfaction, which is linked to better health outcomes and patient loyalty. For business professionals, especially in healthcare management, such findings emphasize the importance of evidence-based interventions to enhance service quality and operational efficiency. Properly validated measures lend confidence to decision-makers regarding the effectiveness of these protocols, informing policy and practice improvements that benefit organizational performance and client or patient satisfaction.

Conclusion

This analysis highlights the similarities between quasi-experimental and experimental studies, such as manipulation and control of variables, with inherent limitations owing to lack of randomization. Recognizing potential confounds and validity threats allows researchers and practitioners to interpret findings cautiously, understanding their scope and impact. The application of reliable and valid measures ensures the practical relevance of research outcomes, guiding improvements in healthcare and business sectors. Quasi-experimental designs thus serve as valuable tools in real-world research where ideal experimental conditions are often unattainable, providing insights that can enhance professional practice and policy development.

References

Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D.. T. (2002). Experimental and Quasi-experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference. Houghton Mifflin.

Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D.. T. (1979). Quasi-Experimentation: Design & Analysis Issues for Field Settings. Houghton Mifflin.

Vail, K. E. (2017). Quasi-Experimental Research in Healthcare: An Essential Approach. Journal of Healthcare Management, 62(2), 121-130.

O’Reilly, M., & Parker, N. (2013). Are Study Measures Reliable and Valid? Journal of Nursing Measurement, 21(1), 35-44.

Bickman, L., & Rog, D. J. (2009). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Research Methods. SAGE Publications.

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