Assignment Instructions
Explain how research has evolved since the Florence Nightingale era.
Discuss how research and EBP are different; include how you believe research supports EBP for nursing.
Describe one past/historical unethical breach of research conduct; then, share how you would ensure care of a study participant using one ethical or legal research consideration (guideline/principle).
Sample Answer
Explain how research has evolved since the Florence Nightingale era.
Nursing research has significantly evolved since the era of Florence Nightingale. Florence Nightingale is regarded as the pioneer of modern research as during the Crimean War, she collected and analyzed data, and the findings were used to improve the sanitary conditions among the soldiers during the war. This laid the foundation for use of research in nursing. The nursing discipline began to gain recognition as an independent discipline in the 20th century. Its focus shifted from experiential knowledge to evidence-based knowledge. Up to now, the increased use of technology and statistical methods is essential in enhancing the quality of nursing research. The nursing field has become increasingly complex as multiple methodologies are used for research and interprofessional collaboration is required for the delivery of healthcare services.
Discuss how research and EBP are different; include how you believe research supports EBP for nursing.
Research is different from evidence-based practice as research involves the conduction of scientific experiments to answer the various research questions. The major goal of health research is to improve understanding of the various nursing topics and the nursing field in general to improve nursing care, technology, and the decision-making process. On the other hand, Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) focuses on the utilization of the current evidence that is derived from clinical research studies, healthcare providers' judgment and experience, and patient data (Chien, 2019). Evidence-based practice is built on the foundations of the preferences of patients, clinical experience, and clinical research. Research is believed to support EBP if it provides evidence that informs the practice. Without research, EBP would not be having the empirical foundation to make the most effective decisions in nursing.
Describe one past/historical unethical breach of research conduct; then, share how you would ensure the care of a study participant using one ethical or legal research consideration (guideline/principle).
There are various historical pieces of research that breached ethical research considerations. One of these researchers is the Tuskegee Syphilis Study which was taken between 1932 and 1972 (Tobin, 2022). The experiment is regarded to be as highly unethical as it violated the majority of ethical considerations. It failed to respect the research participants as they were not fully informed on the nature of the research study. The ethical principle of beneficence was violated as the research participants were denied medication and this caused them pain and suffering. All the participants of the research study were subjected to painful and invasive procedures and this highly violated the ethical principle of non-maleficence. Additionally, the research study violated the principle of justice as the research respondents were treated unfairly. As a researcher, I would care for the research participants by informing the respondents on all aspects of the study and avoiding engaging in activities that cause harm.
References
Chien, L. Y. (2019). Evidence-based practice and nursing research. The Journal of Nursing Research, 27(4), e29. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6641093/
Tobin, M. J. (2022). Fiftieth anniversary of uncovering the tuskegee syphilis study: the story and timeless lessons. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 205(10), 1145-1158. https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.202201-0136SO