Helping practitioners understand the contribution of qualitative research to evidence-based practice.
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Evidence-Based Medicine↗
Biomedical subjects
Carl Thompson
Publications and source records attributed to Carl Thompson.
Q methodology in health economics.
The recognition that health economists need to understand the meaning of data if they are to adequately understand research findings which challenge conventional economic theory has led to the growth of qualitative modes of enquiry in health economics. The use of qualitative methods of exploration and description alongside quantitative techniques gives rise to a number of epistemological, ontological and methodological challenges: difficulties in accounting for subjectivity in choices, the need for rigour and transparency in method, and problems of disciplinary acceptability to health economists. Q methodology is introduced as a means of overcoming some of these challenges. We argue that Q offers a means of exploring subjectivity, beliefs and values while retaining the transparency, rigour and mathematical underpinnings of quantitative techniques. The various stages of Q methodological enquiry are outlined alongside potential areas of application in health economics, before discussing the strengths and limitations of the approach. We conclude that Q methodology is a useful addition to economists' methodological armoury and one that merits further consideration and evaluation in the study of health services.
Data Interpretation, Statistical↗
Nurse practitioner and practice nurses' use of research information in clinical decision making: findings from an exploratory study.
BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence regarding the kinds of decisions made by primary care nurses and the information sources they use in clinical decision making. OBJECTIVE: To describe the decisions made by nurses working in general practice and the sources of information they use to underpin those decisions. METHODS: Qualitative methods (interviews, observation, documentary analysis) were used to collect data on the clinical decision making and information seeking behaviour of a purposive sample of 29 practice nurses and four nurse practitioners from general practices in the North of England. Data were collected November 2001-September 2002. RESULTS: A seven-fold typology captured the types of decisions the nurses made on a daily basis concerning assessment, diagnosis, intervention, referral, communication, service delivery and organization (SDO) and information seeking. Faced with clinical uncertainty, the majority of the nurses in the study relied on personal experience, or obtained advice and information from GP or other colleagues. These 'human sources' of information were overwhelmingly preferred to text or on-line resources. Despite encounters with evidence-based resources through continuing professional development, the nurses rarely used them to seek answers to routine clinical questions. CONCLUSION: The decisions of the nurses in the study were mainly concerned with undifferentiated diagnosis and treatment, in the context of acute conditions and chronic disease management. 'Human sources' of information were preferred to any other; however, we do not know whether information obtained from colleagues is based on research.
Adult↗
Dorzolamide and timolol saves retinal ganglion cells in glaucomatous adult rats.
PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a dorzolamide-timolol combination or dorzolamide on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) density and intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucomatous eyes of adult rats. METHODS: Glaucoma was induced in the right eye of adult Wistar rats by episcleral venous occlusion. One experimental group was administered dorzolamide 2%-timolol 0.5% combination eye drops, while the other experimental group was administered dorzolamide 2% eye drops. Control groups had surgery without drug administration. Drug application was initiated either 2 weeks before surgery (Group A), from the day of surgery (Group B), 2 weeks after surgery (Group C), or 4 weeks after surgery (Group D). RGCs were labeled by intratectal Fluorogold injections and counted from flat-mount preparations, and IOP was measured using Tonopen. RESULTS: Both dorzolamide-timolol combination and dorzolamide, when applied topically, significantly reduced IOP and improved RGC densities in experimental eyes when compared to control eyes. Earlier initiation, as well as longer duration of drug application, resulted in higher RGC densities. CONCLUSIONS: Topical application of a dorzolamide-timolol combination or dorzolamide saved RGCs to a significant extent and reduced IOP in glaucomatous rat eyes.
Animals↗
Barriers to evidence-based practice in primary care nursing--why viewing decision-making as context is helpful.
AIM: This paper reports a study examining the barriers associated with research knowledge transfer amongst primary care nurses in the context of clinical decision-making. BACKGROUND: The research literature on barriers to nurses' use of research knowledge is characterized by studies that rely primarily on self-report data, making them prone to reporting biases. Studies of the barriers to evidence-based practice often fail to examine information use and behaviour in the context of clinical decision-making. METHODS: A multi-site, mixed method, case study was carried out in 2001. Data were collected in three primary care organizations by means of interviews with 82 primary care nurses, 270 hours of non-participant observation and 122 Q-sorts. Nurses were selected using a published theoretical sampling frame. Between-methods triangulation was employed and data analysed according to the principles of constant comparison. Multiple linear regression was used to explore relationships between a number of independent demographic variables (such as length of clinical experience) and the dependent variable of nurses' perspectives on the barriers to their use of research knowledge. RESULTS: Three perspectives on barriers to research information use emerged: the need to bridge the skills and knowledge gap for successful knowledge transfer; information formats need to maximize limited opportunities for consumption; and limited access in the context of limited time for decision-making and information consumption. Demographic variables largely failed to predict allegiance to any of the perspectives identified. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers should consider using decision-making as a contextual backdrop for exploring information use and behaviour, avoid relying solely on self-reported behaviour as data, and use a variety of research methods to provide a richer picture of information-related behaviour. Practice developers need to recognize that understanding the decisions to which research knowledge is to be applied should be a characteristic of any strategy to increase research uptake by nurses.
Adult↗
Alternative futures for health economics: implications for nursing management.
As nursing has been subject to successive waves of 'managerialism' there has been a drive on the part of government and elements within the profession to enhance the science base and promote cost-effective health care interventions. This has generated new interest in the 'economics of nursing' as efficiency and 'value for money' are viewed as necessary precondition for the provision of a high quality nursing service. As an academic subject health economics has brought an elegant set of theories to bear on the topic of health and health care. However, mainstream health economics is premised on a series of simplifying assumptions that, if applied uncritically, can induce a range of unintended and adverse consequences. This paper asks how ideas developed in one sphere (health economics) can be become influential in another (nursing management and practice) and it seeks explanations in the theories of Michel Foucault, specifically in his exploration of the reciprocal relationship between power and knowledge. How are our assumptions about what is possible and desirable shaped, how far do mechanisms of surveillance and self-subjugation extend? A range of alternative economic approaches have been developed which challenge many mainstream health economics assumptions. Some of these are better suited to the complex social environment present within health care. Nurses, nurse managers and researchers should question the assumptions of dominant economic models and explore a range of economic frameworks when planning services and evaluating their practice.
Attitude to Health↗
Strategies for avoiding pitfalls in clinical decision-making.
This article is the first in a series of four exploring how nurses make decisions. It distinguishes clinical judgement from the process of decision-making and looks at the sorts of decisions nurses make and what can go wrong.
Decision Making↗
Increasing the visibility of coding decisions in team-based qualitative research in nursing.
OBJECTIVES: To examine the use of the multi-rater Kappa measure of agreement (Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioural Sciences, McGraw Hill, New York, 1988) in team based, mixed method, qualitative nursing research. DESIGN: The article presents an illustrative description of the application of the qualitative coding procedure and associated multi-rater Kappa measurement at four time points in 9 months amongst a five person health services research team. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The multi-rater Kappa statistic. This is a measure of the extent to which observers achieve possible agreement beyond any agreement expected to occur by chance alone. RESULTS: Closeness to primary qualitative research data, working relationships over time, and focused research team discussion can all lead to greater agreement and convergence at the level of descriptive coding. The method of measuring agreement between groups of coders was easily applied and appeared a feasible option for similar research projects wishing to demonstrate transparency in their coding procedures. CONCLUSION: Measuring agreement beyond chance by the multi-rater Kappa statistic has some utility for research teams whose qualitative coding tasks are primarily descriptive. The method offers a standard and transparent approach for demonstrating agreement between coders and should be a feature of qualitative research reporting where appropriate.
Abstracting and Indexing↗
Fortuitous phenomena: on complexity, pragmatic randomised controlled trials, and knowledge for evidence-based practice.
CONTEXT: Many of the interventions that nurses develop and implement are in themselves complex and have to operate in situations of irreducible complexity and uncertainty. MAIN ARGUMENT: This article argues that the primary means of generating knowledge for the evidence-based deployment of complex interventions should be the pragmatic randomised controlled trial. Randomised controlled trials represent the only research design to adequately deal with that which we know and (far more importantly) that which we do not. LITERARY METHOD: Using the example of practice development as an exemplar for complexity, and drawing on the objections often voiced as a response to calls to make use of randomised controlled trials in nursing and nursing research, the article presents a developmental framework and some methodological solutions to problems often encountered. CONCLUSION: Randomised controlled trials, whilst undoubtedly methodologically and strategically challenging, offer the most robust basis for developing primary research knowledge on the effects of complex interventions in nursing and their active components.
Benchmarking↗
Decision aids reduced decisional conflict in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension.
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Comment↗
Nurses, information use, and clinical decision making--the real world potential for evidence-based decisions in nursing.
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Clinical Competence↗
Clinical experience as evidence in evidence-based practice.
BACKGROUND: This paper's starting point is the recognition (descriptive not normative) that, for the vast majority of day-to-day clinical decision-making situations, the 'evidence' for decision-making is experiential knowledge. Moreover, reliance on this knowledge base means that nurses must use cognitive shortcuts or heuristics for handling information when making decisions. These heuristics encourage systematic biases in decision-makers and deviations from the normative rules of 'good' decision-making. AIMS: The aim of the paper is to explore three common heuristics and the biases that arise when handling complex information in clinical decision-making (overconfidence, hindsight and base rate neglect) and, in response to these biases, to illustrate some simple techniques for reducing the negative influence of heuristics. DISCUSSION: Nurses face a limited range of types of uncertainty in their clinical decisions and draw primarily on experiential knowledge to handle these uncertainties. This paper argues that experiential knowledge is a necessary but not sufficient basis for clinical decision-making. It illustrates how overconfidence in one's knowledge base, being correct 'after the event' or with the benefit of hindsight, and ignoring the base rates associated with events, conditions or health states, can impact on professional judgements and decisions. The paper illustrates some simple strategies for minimizing the impact of heuristics on the real-life clinical decisions of nurses. CONCLUSION: The paper concludes that more research knowledge of the impact of heuristics and techniques to combat them in nursing decisions is needed.
Clinical Competence↗
Measuring the quality of judgement and decision-making in nursing.
AIM: This paper discusses measurement of the quality of judgement and decision-making in nursing research. It examines theoretical and research issues surrounding how to measure judgement accuracy as a component of evaluating decision-making in nursing practice. DISCUSSION: Judgement accuracy is discussed with reference to different methods of measurement, including comparing judgements with independent criteria and inter-judge approaches. Existing research on how judgement accuracy has been measured in nursing practice is examined. Evaluation of decisions is then discussed, including consideration of the process of decision-making and evaluating decision outcomes. Finally, existing research on decision-making in nursing is assessed and the strengths and limitations of different types of measurement discussed. CONCLUSION: We suggests that researchers examining the quality of judgement and decision-making in nursing need to be aware of both the strengths and limitations of existing methods of measurement. We also suggest that researchers need to use a number of different methods, including normative approaches such as Bayes' Theorem and Subjective Expected Utility Theory.
Decision Making↗
Acute care nurses' perceptions of barriers to using research information in clinical decision-making.
AIM: To examine the barriers that nurses feel prevent them from using research in the decisions they make. BACKGROUND: A sizeable research literature focusing on research utilization in nursing has developed over the past 20 years. However, this literature is characterized by a number of weaknesses: self-reported utilization behaviour; poor response rates and small, nonrandom sampling strategies. DESIGN: Cross-case analysis involving anonymised qualitative interviews, observation, documentary audit and Q methodological modelling of shared subjectivities amongst nurses. The case sites were three large acute hospitals in the north of England. One hundred and eight nurses were interviewed, 61 of whom were also observed for a total of 180 h, and 122 nurses were involved in the Q modelling exercise (response rate of 64%). RESULTS: Four perspectives were isolated that encompassed the characteristics associated with barriers to research use. These related to the individual, organization, nature of research information itself and environment. Nurses clustered around four main perspectives on the barriers to research use: (1) Problems in interpreting and using research products, which were seen as too complex, 'academic' and overly statistical; (2) Nurses who felt confident with research-based information perceived a lack of organizational support as a significant block; (3) Many nurses felt that researchers and research products lack clinical credibility and that they fail to offer the desired level of clinical direction; (4) Some nurses lacked the skills and, to a lesser degree, the motivation to use research themselves. These individuals liked research messages passed on to them by a third party and sought to foster others' involvement in research-based practice, rather than becoming directly involved themselves. CONCLUSIONS: Rejection of research knowledge is not a barrier to its application. Rather, the presentation and management of research knowledge in the workplace represent significant challenges for clinicians, policy-makers and the research community.
Adult↗
The value of research in clinical decision-making.
This article examines the application of research-based information in clinical decision-making. In doing so it draws on the findings (and work in progress) of two research projects that seek to contribute to establishing the potential for evidence-based approaches in nursing. The authors conclude that understanding the types of decisions nurses make, their clinical uncertainties and unanswered questions is of value to both researchers, policy makers and practitioners.
Attitude of Health Personnel↗
Using decision trees to aid decision-making in nursing.
This article discusses judgement and decision-making in nursing. It outlines an approach to analysing clinical problems known as decision analysis. It suggests decision analysis can be a useful technique for nurses to assist them with decision-making in practice.
Decision Trees↗
Using judgement to improve accuracy in decision-making.
Nursing judgements are complex, often involving the need to process a large number of information cues. Key issues include how accurate they are and how we can improve levels of accuracy. Traditional approaches to the study of nursing judgement, characterised by qualitative and descriptive research, have provided valuable insights into the nature of expert nursing practice and the complexity of practice. However, they have largely failed to provide the data needed to address judgement accuracy. Social judgement analysis approaches are one way of overcoming these limitations. This paper argues that as nurses take on more roles requiring accurate judgement, it is time to increase our knowledge of judgement and ways to improve it.
Clinical Competence↗
Awareness and prevention of error in clinical decision-making.
The risk of errors in the planning and delivery of health care is an inescapable feature of clinical practice for which health providers have developed sophisticated defences. However, errors still occur. This paper, the final in a four-part series on nurses' decision-making and judgement, illustrates some common pitfalls facing clinicians who have to make complex decisions and judgements, and suggests simple techniques to help combat some of the systematic errors people make when exercising judgement and making choices.
Decision Making↗