N 108 Hesi Nursing Research

Correct Answer D: The mean age of nursing faculty in the United States

Explanation:

The mean (average) age of nursing faculty provides a direct indicator of how close faculty members are to retirement age. If the mean age is high, it supports the statement that many are likely to retire soon. This statistical measure best aligns with explaining an increasing rate of retirement.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. The percentage of nurses who work as nursing faculty throughout the world

This statistic reflects the proportion of nurses in faculty roles globally, not the retirement trends or age distribution relevant to retirement rates.

B. The median number of years that nurses work as faculty members

This shows career duration but does not inform whether faculty members are nearing retirement or what age group they fall into.

C. The significant age difference in hospital staff nurses and nursing faculty

While this shows a contrast in age between groups, it doesn't directly explain the retirement rate among faculty members. It lacks specificity about faculty retirement patterns.

Correct Answer C: Readmission rates

Explanation:

The dependent variable is the outcome that is being measured or affected in a study. In this case, the title indicates the study is examining the effect of family members’ support on readmission rates. Therefore, readmission rates are what the researchers are measuring as a result of the level of support provided by family members.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Patients in program

This describes the population being studied, not the variable being measured. The patients are the subjects, not the dependent variable.

B. Family members' support

This is the independent variable—the factor being manipulated or studied to see its effect on another variable (readmission rates).

D. Substance abuse program

This is the setting or context of the study, not a variable being measured or manipulated. It provides background but is not a dependent variable.

Correct Answer B: Retrospective study

Explanation:

A retrospective study looks back at data that already exists. In this scenario, the flood has already occurred, and the case manager wants to examine hospital admission records from the past month to determine if there was an increase in gastrointestinal parasitic illness. This makes a retrospective study the most suitable approach because it analyzes past events and existing records.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Prospective study

A prospective study follows subjects into the future to observe outcomes. Since the flood and admissions have already occurred, this design is not appropriate here.

C. Needs survey

A needs survey assesses what services or resources are required by a population, often for planning purposes. It doesn’t help evaluate past hospital admissions or trends in disease incidence.

D. Case study

A case study focuses on an in-depth examination of a single individual or small group, which would not be useful for analyzing trends in admission data across a population.

Correct Answer C: Experimental

Explanation:

This study uses a true experimental design, which is characterized by three key features: random assignment, the presence of both a control group and an experimental group, and the use of a pretest-posttest structure to measure changes in the dependent variable (in this case, knowledge levels). The goal is to test the cause-and-effect relationship between the type of instruction and the participants’ knowledge.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Longitudinal

Longitudinal studies observe participants over an extended period of time to identify trends or changes. The given study does not mention a long-term follow-up; it only involves a pretest and posttest, making it not longitudinal.

B. Quasi-experimental

Quasi-experimental studies lack random assignment, which introduces potential bias. Since this study randomly assigns subjects to groups, it is not quasi-experimental.

D. Descriptive

Descriptive research only observes and describes characteristics or behaviors without manipulating variables or introducing interventions. This study includes an intervention and comparison, so it is not descriptive.

Correct Answer A: Results

Explanation:

The Results section of a research report is where the findings of the study are presented, including statistical outcomes, comparisons, and data analyses. The statement discusses the measured outcome (no significant difference in scores) between two groups, which is a direct result of the study’s data analysis. Therefore, it belongs in the results section.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

B. Sample

The Sample section describes the characteristics of the participants (e.g., age, gender, inclusion criteria), not the outcomes or comparisons made.

C. Conclusions

The Conclusions section interprets the results and discusses implications, but the specific statistical findings should appear in the results first before they are discussed more broadly.

D. Methodology

The Methodology section details how the study was conducted—design, instruments, procedures, etc.—not the outcome of the intervention or comparison.

Correct Answer D: Experimental

Explanation:

An experimental research design is the best method for determining the effects of an intervention, such as a teaching program. It typically includes random assignment, control and experimental groups, and pre- and post-intervention measurements. This allows the researcher to attribute any changes (e.g., improved blood sugar control) to the teaching provided.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Cross-sectional

This design captures data at one point in time and is useful for describing conditions or associations, but not for establishing cause-and-effect from an intervention.

B. Descriptive

Descriptive studies summarize characteristics of a population without manipulating variables or testing effects, so they cannot determine the outcome of an intervention.

C. Longitudinal

Although longitudinal studies follow participants over time, they do not always include an intervention. Unless it’s a longitudinal experimental study, it doesn’t provide strong evidence of effect like an experimental design does.

 Correct Answer B: Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) reference.

Explanation:

CINAHL is a comprehensive and specialized nursing and allied health database that indexes scholarly, peer-reviewed articles, including those authored by nurses. It is specifically designed to retrieve information on nursing practices, interventions, and outcomes. For a topic like nurse-authored client education programs aimed at reducing STIs, CINAHL is the most reliable and focused source, offering a high volume of relevant, evidence-based studies that are searchable using key terms like “sexually transmitted infections,” “teenagers,” and “nurse-led education.”

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Google Internet meta-search engine search by subject matter (STIs)

Google results are broad, unfiltered, and often include non-scholarly or commercially biased information. While it may provide general awareness, it is not a reliable source for scholarly nursing research or nurse-authored interventions.

C. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Website for the public

This website offers public health education, but it is not focused on nursing research or nurse-authored client education programs. Its target audience is patients and providers in obstetrics and gynecology, not researchers or nursing students.

D. US Department of Health and Human Services epidemiology webpage

While this source may offer statistical data about STI rates, it does not focus on nursing interventions or education programs. It is useful for background or prevalence data but does not meet the specific requirement for nurse-authored education program information.

Correct Answer B: Ex-post-facto study

Explanation:

An ex-post-facto study is a non-experimental research design that investigates possible relationships between variables by examining existing conditions or events that have already occurred. In this case, the use of oral contraceptives and the breast self-exam practices are both existing behaviors or conditions. The researcher cannot manipulate the contraceptive methods, so the ex-post-facto approach allows analysis based on natural groupings. This design is best when studying cause-and-effect relationships where direct control of variables is not possible but where the researcher wants to explore how one variable may influence another.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Correlational study

A correlational study examines the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables but does not establish cause-and-effect. While it could be used here, it does not allow for comparison between predefined groups (oral contraceptive users vs. other users) as effectively as an ex-post-facto design.

C. Longitudinal study

A longitudinal study involves repeated observations of the same variables over time. While useful for tracking changes in behavior, it is not necessary here unless the goal is to observe how breast self-exam practices change over time, which is not stated in the research question.

D. Exploratory study

An exploratory study is used when little is known about a topic and the goal is to generate hypotheses rather than test them. Since this research question is already specific and comparative, an exploratory study would not be the most effective or structured design for answering it.

Correct Answer D: The subject's history during the three months of the study

Explanation:

The history threat to internal validity refers to external events or experiences that occur during the course of the study which may influence the outcomes. In this case, over the three-month period, subjects might have received additional education, encountered complications, or had personal experiences affecting their insulin knowledge—independent of the teaching strategies being tested. These events can confound the results, making it unclear whether changes in test scores are due to the intervention or other experiences.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. The possibility that the results cannot be replicated

This relates to external validity (generalizability and reproducibility), not internal validity.

B. How long the subjects had been diagnosed with diabetes

The study specifies that clients were recently diagnosed, suggesting this variable was controlled. If not, it would be a selection threat but not the main threat described here.

C. The sampling method used to select subjects for the groups

Random assignment was used, which minimizes selection bias and strengthens internal validity. Therefore, this is not the primary concern.