Best, best

Identify and discuss the following:

· what is known/not known about the topic and the gap in knowledge the study is intended to fill.

· the research design, purpose of the study, and setting.

· information about the sample: 

· method;

· size;

· inclusion/exclusion criteria,

· attrition/loss to follow up/response rate, if any;

· important characteristics of the sample

· Another question:

Viner and Gautam (2020) relied on anecdotal data about the population of the study. The study participants selected for the study were all the nursing staff in the two long-term care facilities selected as the setting for the study. Anecdotal data stated that there were potential 40 respondents but data was collected from 21 nurses who responded to the questionnaires issued. The response rate was 52.5 percent. The sampling method and the inclusion-exclusion criteria were inadequate to reduce sampling bias because the researchers used a convenience sample that included only the nursing staff who were direct care providers. There was selection bias since the sample was not randomly selected.

The sample was not representative of the target population. First, because of its size. The sample was small; thus, the findings cannot be generalized. Second, the researchers did not state the demographics of the study population, and they did not state the number of nurses who were full-time, part-time, or per diem employed. This means the characteristics of the sample could not be compared to that of the target population.

There was a decline in sample size because the researchers targeted 40 participants as indicated in the anecdotal data, but only 21 completed the study activities. The researchers identified the decrease late as they were compiling the data sets; thus, they did not make any attempts to reduce the decline. However, the decrease was not adequately explained by the researchers.

The sampling procedure is commonly use in nursing research, where researchers target a specific nursing unit. My problem is on the identification of the participant characteristics which is important for making comparisons between the sample and the target population. The sample was not representative of the population; thus, the findings derived from the sample cannot be generalized. As a result, I do not have confidence in drawing inferences to the target population.

 

Reference

Viner, S., & Gautam, R. (2020). Urinary tract infection knowledge of long-term care nursing staff: The effect of an educational intervention. Urologic Nursing, 40(1), 7-10, 21. https://doi.org/10.7257/1053-816X.2020.40.1.7

I need a response for this:

Nice start!  You stated, "Second, the researchers did not state the demographics of the study population."  Is this true?  There might have been some information not collected, but was no demographic data at all provided? 

Also, "The sampling method and the inclusion-exclusion criteria were inadequate to reduce sampling bias because the researchers used a convenience sample that included only the nursing staff who were direct care providers. There was selection bias since the sample was not randomly selected."  Interested to see your peers' responses on this.