problem statement for nursing

1. RESEARCH PROBLEM
UNIT -2
Prepared by
Naorem Monika Devi
Lecturer
SNSR

2. DEFINITION
A research problem is an enigmatic, troubling
area or topic that needs an enquiry to get better
understanding or ultimate solution.

3. FACTORS AFFECTING IN SELECTION
OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
• Knowledge
• Skill
• Interest
• Expertise
• Motivation
• Creativity

4. COMPONENTS
• RELEVANCE OF THE STUDY
• TITLE OF THE STUDY
• OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF THE VARIABLES
• OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
• DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
• SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

5. Example
A descriptive study to assess the prevalence of
pin site infection among patients with external
skeletal fixation admitted in orthopedic wards of
Sharda hospital, Noida.

6. IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH
PROBLEM
Broad area  narrow down  specific

7. Sources of research problem
• Personal experiences
• Practical experiences
• Critical appraisal of literature
• Previous research
• Existing theories

8. • Consumer feedback
• Performance improvement activities
• Social issues
• Brainstorming
• Intuition
• Folklores
• Exposure to field situation
• Consultation with experts

9. “IPS BCEF”
• I-1
• P-4
• S-1
• B-1
• C-3
• E-2
• F-1

10. CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A
GOOD RESEARCH PROBLEM
• Significance to nursing profession
• Original
• Feasibility: time, cost, equipment and supplies
• Administrative support
• Peer support
• Availability of subjects
• Research’s competence

11. • Ethical consideration
• Solvable/ researchable
• Current
• Interesting

12. Significant to nursing profession
• Base on nursing profession
• Benefits to nurse, patient or other healthcare
person.
• Improve the clinical practice
• Promote nursing theory
• Provide solution of current nursing practice
needs.
• Provide interventions.

13. ORIGINAL
• Unique
• New
• Innovative knowledge

14. FEASIBILITY
• Available of all the essentials
• Time
• Equipment and supplies
• Administrative support (financial)
• Peer support
• Availability of subjects
• Ethical consideration
• Researcher’s competence (ability)

15. SOLVABLE/ RESEARCHABLE
• Select only solvable problem

16. CURRENT
• Current problem
INTERESTING
-interest of research
-motivational
-full enthusiasm

17. STEP for FORMULATION OF
RESEARCH PROBLEM statement
Selection of research area Reviewing literature
and theories  delimiting the research topic 
evaluating the research problem  formulating the
final statement

18. Selection of a research area
• Broad area
• Sources
• Significance or not

19. Reviewing literature and theories
• Research literature
• Theories
• To know what is been done
• To plan for the expansion of the existing body

20. Delimitating the research topic
• Select the area of interest from the subtopic
• General to more specific

21. Evaluation
• It is done after clear of the research problem.
• Evaluate for the significance, researchability and
feasibility.
• Time
• Cost
• Subject
• Administrative
• Peer review
• Ethical consideration

23. FORMULATING THE FINAL STATEMENT
OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
• Interrogative format
• Declarative format
Ex: A descriptive study on prevalence of
bedsores among unconscious patients admitted
in intensive care units of Sharda university,
Noida.
Ex: What is the effect of ginger on morning
sickness symptoms on pregnant women in
selected urban communities of Noida?

24. • Variables
• Population/ sample
• Research setting
• Type of study

26. Types of study

27. Population
• A population is a complete set of people with
a specialized set of characteristics.
Research setting
• The research setting is the location where the
research takes place

28. Variables
• Variables are the qualities, properties, or
characteristics of person, things, or situation
that change or vary.
• Measure in the form of qualitative or
quantitative

29. TYPES OFVARIABLES
Variables are classified based on their nature,
action, and effects on the variables. The
main types of the variables are as follows:
1. Independent and dependent variables
2. Research variable
3. Demographic variables
4. Extraneous variables

30. 1- Independent and dependent
variables:-
these are two variables which are
interrelated and mainly observed in
correlational, interventional, pre-
experimental, quasi- experimental, and
experimental research studies.

31. An independent variable: it is a stimulus or
activity that is manipulated or varied by the
researcher to create the effect on the dependent
variable.
A dependent variable: is the variable a
researcher is interested in. It is the outcome or
response due to the effect of the independent
variables, which researcher wants to predict or
explain.
Ex: smoking cause cancer

32. For example:- ‘a quasi-experimental study
on effect of 4- hourly chlorhexidine
mouthwash on prevention of ventilation-
associated pneumonia (VAP) among patient
admitted in selected ICU of DMCH, Ludhiana,
Punjab’.
In this study, 4 hourly chlorhexidine
mouthwashes is an independent variable and
ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the
dependent variable.

33. 2-Research variable:
• In descriptive exploratory, comparative, and qualitative
research studies, variables are observed or measured in
natural setting as they exist, without manipulating or
impossible the effect of intervention or treatment.
• Here no independent variables is manipulated and no
case-effect relationship is examined; these variables are
considered as research variables.
• Ex: knowledge regarding Covid 19 prevention

34. For example:- ‘ an exploratory study on factor
contributing to sleep disturbance among patients
admitted in selected intensive care units of
AIIMS, new delhi’.
In this research study, ‘factors contributing to
sleep disturbance’ is a research variable, which is
observed in natural setting without manipulating
it.

35. Demographic Variables.
Common demographic variables are
age, gender, educational status,
religion, social class, marital status,
habitat, occupation, income, and
medical diagnosis etc.

36. Extraneous variables:-
Extraneous variables are the factors which are
not the part of the study but may affect the
measurement of the study variables. These
variables are usually recognized and controlled
by researchers in quasi-experimental and
experimental studies; however in other research
studies also the researcher may do so wherever it
is possible. Generally, specific research design
and sample inclusion and exclusion criteria
are used to control the influence of extraneous
variables.

37. • CONTROLLED VARIABLE(DO NOT WISH TO
INCLUDE IN THE STUDY)
• DISCRETE VARIABLE (FINITE NUMBER OF VALUES,
EX: NO. OF NURSES IN WARD)
• QUALITATIVE VARIABLE (NOT NUMNERICAL
EX:TYPES OF BED, CANNULA COLOR)
-Dichotomous variable(have only 2 categories, Ex: infection
=present/absent)
-Polychotomous variable(have more than 2 categories,
Ex:types of ICU)

38. • Quantitative variable: numerical or measurable(height,
weight,pulse rate)
• Continues variable: infinite values (ex:temperature:99.6 F)
• Outcome variable
• Predictor variable
• Latent variable: abstract variable that Cannot observe directly.
Need to convert to manifested.(ex: cardiovascular disorder)
• Manifest variable: concrete variable that can observed or measure
which indicate the present of latent variable. (ex: increase bp leads
to hypertension)

40. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION
Operational definition is the definition of the variable
included in the study that derive from conceptual or
theoretical framework.
Sometimes there is need to define the population of
the study.

41. ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS
1. Stated in measurable and observable terms: (distinctive
characteristic of the variable in measurable and observable
terms.)
2. Non-ambiguous language
3. Stated positively
4. Clear and precise
5. Valid
6. Reliability