Urinary incontinence among community-dwelling frail elderly is estimated to affect 6.23 million people at an annual cost of over $7 billion. Overwhelmed caregivers may seek institutional placement of their incontinent family member. Results from this study of 78 subjects demonstrate that even in physically and cognitively impaired persons a behavioral treatment program can reduce incontinence, lower costs, and relieve caregiver burden.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Demystifying the clinical nursing research process.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Clinical Nursing Research↗

PubMed2003

Demystifying nursing research: defining the problem to be studied.

Determining potential areas to examine for researchable nursing practice problems, stating the problem/question for study, and areas to consider after tentatively selecting a problem for study are all fundamental elements of sound research study design. At this point, if you have a problem in mind, write it in a declarative sentence beginning with: "The purpose of this study is to...". After the word "to" place an active verb such as examine, describe, determine, compare, or explore. This is only a suggested short list, but after writing the verb, go on to say what will be compared, explored, etc. Now you have declared how to begin your research "journey" and where you expect it to lead. It may take several tries before clearly capturing and stating the study problem. After you are satisfied with the problem statement, you are ready to conduct a focused literature review on the topic. Suggestions for efficient ways to do this will be covered in the next article in this series.

Clinical Nursing Research↗

PubMed2003

Demystifying the clinical nursing research process: the literature review.

The literature review is a critical step in designing and conducting a credible study. It might seem tedious at first, but your own ideas will become better developed and thoughtful as you critique what other researchers have done. It will make your study stronger. Thus, don't skim over this part of the process. A good literature review will make the next steps easier. It will also assure that you are studying an important area, that the outcome has clinical importance to your patients, and that writing and reporting the results will be easier.

Clinical Nursing Research↗

PubMed2003

Designing clinical research studies: Part I.

Research study design requires careful planning and key decisions. While these steps may seem tedious, they will save time and perhaps aggravation later. In addition, if you plan to seek funding for the study, you must provide a detailed description of how you plan to conduct it. Part 2 of study design (December 2003) will include how to determine the number of subjects, how to select measures for the variables, and what should be included in the procedures and the plan for data analysis sections.

Clinical Nursing Research↗

PubMed2003

Designing clinical research studies: Part II.

The focus of this article has been to describe common sampling strategies, determine how to decide sample size, consider the three hallmarks of an intervention study, and to describe what should be included in the procedures of the methods section of the study. An effort was made to emphasize material necessary for beginning investigators who would be designing small quantitative clinical studies. Resources are provided for further clarification and amplification.

Biomedical Research↗

PubMed2002

Nursing research and continence care.

Despite 50 years of attention to continence care and pivotal nursing research in the field, incontinence continues to challenge health care professionals and consumers alike. The role of nursing research in continence is traced from the early influences of Florence Nightingale to today's clinical practice guidelines and the influence of major nursing research centers.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Quality of life after radical prostatectomy.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine physical and psychosocial factors that affect the quality of life (QOL) for men 12-24 months after radical prostatectomy treatment for prostate cancer. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: An entire population from one tumor registry. SAMPLE: Of the 132 men meeting inclusion criteria, 97 men responded, with 91 meeting analysis requirements. Analysis was completed on the Caucasian sample (n = 88) with a mean age of 66 years. Most men were married, lived with a spouse or partner, and had a high level of education. METHODS: A survey was developed to assess men 12-24 months prostatectomy. The tumor registry mailed the survey, which was completed at home, and participants returned it in a prestamped, addressed envelope. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Major hypotheses in the causal model were that age, sexual function, urinary function, and sexual appraisal would only have indirect effects on QOL, whereas urinary function appraisal, self-esteem, anger suppression, perceived social support, depression, and health locus of control would directly affect QOL. FINDINGS: As analyzed by path analytic techniques, the hypothesized causal model explained 72% variance in the QOL variable. Perceived social support, self-esteem, and health locus of control were significant predictors of QOL. Urinary function appraisal contributed indirectly through health locus of control. Contrary to the hypotheses, anger suppression and depression were not significant predictors of QOL. CONCLUSIONS: After radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, perceived social support, self-esteem, and health locus of control may influence men's QOL. Future research is needed to increase understanding about the adaptation trajectory of men's response to the impact of prostate cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nurses can help patients by providing a thorough assessment of each patient's values that may affect QOL before any intervention begins, using research-based evidence regarding potential side effects of interventions, clear and concise information from a variety of sources that addresses the possible concerns of men and their spouses, and focused counseling that addresses patient-specific problems.

Adult↗