Qualitative Research Question
Why are pressure-relieving techniques considered the most relevant in preventing bedsores occurrence among hospital wards?
Qualitative Methods and Data Collection
Qualitative Method Description
Study’s methodology is a way to relate research data to other basic sciences. The research methodology defines the relationships between the participants and variability, the researcher’s role, data collection, and analysis tools and methods. Qualitative methodologies are usually divided by the scholars at the grounded theory, case study, and ethnography (Brady et al., 2019). The grounded theory and case study are the most relevant for particular study approach methodologies. The first methodology is used when the results are gained, disregarding the specific qualities of the participants (Doyle et al., 2020). Identifying the basic inquires of the pressure-relieving techniques’ practical value may be necessary. The second methodology can help analyze the issue under consideration in a real-life context. The case study can allocate such methods as interviews. Allocation of varied records or observation (Comeau et al., 2018). Such an approach can be efficient when analyzing the practical experience of the pressure-relieving techniques evolving.
On the contrary, ethnography is irrelevant to the current study because there is no need to analyze the result of particular social groups or cultures. The generalized results regarding the pressure-relieving techniques are to be gained. Therefore, the grounded theory seems the most suitable for supporting the answering of the research question. However, the research in medical and nursing often implements the case study methodology. It helps to focus on one particular case, which is vital for medical research. This direction allocates the one primary research problem and purpose, which is usually centered on specific illness.
Data Collection Tools
Data collection tools that can be efficiently used within the scope of qualitative research include observation, interviews, and surveys. Each of the methods can support answering the established earlier research question. The first strategy can be helpful in conducting the observation over the practical application of the pressure-relieving techniques. Some researchers state that this approach can be relevant for preventing bedsores in almost any hospital ward (Amit et al., 2021). The stated universality of this strategy requires more observational research to display the initial claim’s reliability. Observation is the process of collecting and recording, overtly or hidden from detection, events, or special moments associated with the behavior of the object under study (Carr et al., 2019). Therefore, this method can help evaluate the pressure-relieving techniques’ practical efficiency. One of the essential conditions of scientific observation is that the data collected are not only personal and subjective but, under the same conditions, can be obtained by another researcher. All this indicates the necessary accuracy and thoroughness of the application of this method, where the role of a particular scientist is especially significant.
The second method, interview, can be applied to collect the patients’, clinicians’, and nurses’ feedback regarding the issue of the usage of the pressure-relieving technique in practice. Analyzing participants’ experiences is considered one of the most efficient directions of qualitative research (Boylan et al., 2019). However, it also has the risk of potential biases, which should be eliminated during the research planning stage. The surveys can also be relevant to collecting statistical information regarding the issue under consideration. It can be realized through identifying the individuals’ preferences and experiences in using the pressure-relieving techniques or general reports results about this approach evolving.
Despite the fact that the data collection methods can be efficiently used in the current research, the interview may be the most suitable. Integrating the experience of the patients and clinicians can help to understand the in-context impacts of the pressure-relieving techniques more clearly. It would probably be rational to plan to apply combined strategy, including two of the abovementioned tools. By doing so, the research reliability can be enhanced.
Importance of Relevant Data Collection
Qualitative research makes it possible to understand and explain the essence of any process or phenomenon that is difficult or impossible to measure. The researcher collects information about the judgments and beliefs of the studied persons in order to identify their general opinion or motives for behavior accepted in society. Qualitative research has a number of features that are determined by the methodologically correct methods of collecting information. For example, open-ended questions allow study participants to answer in their own words. In addition, qualitative research provides more in-depth information about the phenomenon being studied, which cannot be obtained from quantitative research methods. Therefore, for such a research method, the relevant data collection is extremely important in order to ensure bias-free efficient results.
With some data collection methods, such as in-depth interviews, communication between the researcher and researcher plays an important role. On the contrary, other research methods, such as observation, require other inquiries that should be preserved during the study execution. Thus, the researchers are responsible for pre-planning the methodologically correct data collection to ensure that the research will be sufficient, ensuring validity and reliability. The consistency of the research results and the data collected are vital aspects of any research design.
References
Amit, P., Preeti, S., Shailesh, T., & Yashas, M. (2021). Bedsore and strategies for preventing and treating the bedsore. International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 12(1), 768–773.
Boylan, A., Nunan, D., & Williams, V. (2019). Qualitative research as evidence: expanding the paradigm for evidence-based healthcare. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, 24, 168–169.
Carr, E., Ming, J., Siddiqui, Z., & Zhang, G. (2019). Qualitative research: An overview of emerging approaches for data collection. Australasian Psychiatry, 27(3), 307–309.
Comeau, D., Cooper, H., Griffith, D., Kegler, M., Raskind, I., & Shelton. R. (2018). A review of qualitative data analysis practices in health education and health behavior research. Health Education & Behavior, 46(1), 32–39.
Doyle, L., Keogh, B., McCabe, C., & McCann, M. (2020). An overview of the qualitative descriptive design within nursing research. Journal of Research in Nursing, 25(5), 443–455.