Describe The Topic Or Issue In Nursing Practice

12 Pagesdescribe The Topic Or Issue In Nursing Practice That You Se

Describe the topic or issue in nursing practice that you selected and explain why. Explain which qualitative research design approach that you selected to address this topic or issue and describe the method you chose. Be specific. Justify why this qualitative research design approach would be best suited for this topic or issue and explain how this approach will better inform improvements for nursing practice for the topic or issue that you selected. Be specific and provide examples. Explain why it is important for the DNP-prepared nurse to understand qualitative research approaches for nursing practice.

Paper For Above instruction

The selection of a pertinent topic or issue within nursing practice is essential for advancing patient care and health outcomes. For this paper, I have chosen the issue of nurse-patient communication in the intensive care unit (ICU). Effective communication between nurses and patients is foundational to delivering quality care, ensuring patient safety, and promoting emotional well-being. Particularly in the ICU, where patients often experience pain, anxiety, and critical illness, communication challenges can significantly impact care experiences and outcomes. Understanding this issue through a qualitative research lens allows for a deep exploration of the nuanced experiences, perceptions, and barriers faced by nurses and patients alike.

The qualitative research approach I selected to explore nurse-patient communication in the ICU environment is phenomenology. Phenomenology is a research design that seeks to understand and interpret individuals' lived experiences concerning a particular phenomenon. This approach is well-suited for this topic because it emphasizes the subjective experiences of nurses and patients, capturing the essence of their perceptions, emotions, and barriers encountered during communication. For instance, phenomenology can illuminate how patients perceive the clarity and compassion of communication they receive and how nurses interpret their own challenges in providing effective communication amidst critical care demands.

I chose phenomenology because it allows researchers to gather rich, detailed narratives that provide insight into the meaning behind communication behaviors. This approach involves conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews with nurses and patients, allowing participants to share their experiences openly. The method typically includes purposive sampling to select participants who have encountered significant communication interactions in the ICU. Data analysis often involves thematic coding, seeking common themes and variations in experiences, which can reveal underlying issues, such as emotional barriers, environmental influences, or systemic constraints affecting communication.

This qualitative design is particularly advantageous for understanding complex, context-dependent phenomena like communication in critical care settings. Unlike quantitative methods, which might measure frequency or satisfaction scores, phenomenology provides a deeper understanding of personal perceptions and emotional responses that influence communication effectiveness. For example, exploring nurses' perceptions of their communication skills and the emotional toll of conveying difficult information can inform targeted training programs. Similarly, understanding patients’ feelings of vulnerability or frustration can lead to interventions aimed at building trust and clarity.

By employing phenomenology, nursing practice can benefit from nuanced insights that inform tailored interventions. For example, if data reveal that patients feel anxious when nurses use medical jargon, educational programs can be developed to improve communication clarity. Alternatively, if nurses identify systemic time constraints as a barrier, systemic changes can be implemented to allocate more time for meaningful interactions. Such insights are instrumental in designing practical strategies to improve communication, ultimately leading to enhanced patient satisfaction, safety, and recovery outcomes.

Understanding qualitative research approaches like phenomenology is crucial for DNP-prepared nurses because it equips them with the skills to interpret complex human experiences, which are often central to healthcare quality. DNP nurses frequently lead quality improvement initiatives and evidence-based practice changes; thus, comprehending qualitative methods allows them to critically appraise research findings, incorporate patient-centered perspectives, and develop interventions that resonate with clinical realities. Moreover, qualitative research fosters a holistic view of patient care that values emotional and psychological dimensions alongside biological health.

For DNP-prepared nurses, familiarity with phenomenological approaches enables them to conduct or collaborate on research that informs culturally competent, patient-centered care. They can better understand the lived experiences of diverse patient populations and frontline staff, fostering innovations that are both effective and empathetic. Ultimately, integrating qualitative insights into clinical practice supports a more compassionate, responsive, and effective healthcare system that aligns with overarching goals of holistic nursing care and improved health outcomes.

References

• Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage publications.
• Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Sage.
• Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. Sage.
• Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2017). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice. Wolters Kluwer.
• Benner, P. (1984). From novice to expert. The American Journal of Nursing, 84(3), 402-407.
• Bradshaw, M. J., Atkinson, S., & Doody, O. (2017). Employing a qualitative description as a research method. Methodological innovations, 10, 1-8.
• Graneheim, U. H., & Lundman, B. (2004). Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: Concepts, procedures, and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nursing Research, 53(2), 106-115.
• Sanders, J., & Gilligan, A. (2013). Patient-centered communication in nursing: An approach to understanding and improving patient experience. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 28(3), 244-250.
• Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2012). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Holloway, I., & Todres, L. (2003). The humanization of healthcare: A framework for understanding and designing human experiences. Qualitative Health Research, 13(3), 406-420.