Article Critique

Instructions: A major skill that is learned in this course is how to critically read and critique nursing research articles. The purpose for critiquing an article is to critically evaluate the research process followed by the author(s) of the assigned article. This is an information and time intensive process that is not learned overnight. To demonstrate your skill at critiquing an article, you will complete this open-book multiple choice assignment.

Here's how you should approach completing this week’s assignment to finish critiquing an article:

1. First, do your assigned reading in Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015) and complete the reading worksheets early in the week. This will introduce you to the critique skills you will need for the week.

2. Skim the entire instructor assigned research article that has been posted on Blackboard for you so that you will have an idea of what it is about. Then, for this week, re-read carefully the first half of the article, starting with the abstract and stopping after the first paragraph of the results or “findings” section.

3. Print this document and find the best answer to each question below based on your Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015) assigned reading for the week and what you have read in the instructor assigned research article.

4. Some of the questions in the critique assignment below will seem unfamiliar to you. Look up key terms from the question in your textbook. Some examples of these terms might be: problem statement, variables, and cross-sectional. You can also look in Chapter 12 for an example of a critical appraisal (or critique) of a quantitative research article.

5. Once you have completed this assignment “on paper”, go into blackboard and enter your answers by the assignment due date and time listed in the syllabus. Ignore any wording from Blackboard that indicates that “this is a test” and carefully enter your answers from this document.

6. You will have two access attempts to record your answers. This is given to you so that if you encounter technical difficulties on your first attempt, or you would like a second attempt to try to improve your grade, you may do so. You will not be able to see the questions that you missed when you submit your attempt. Blackboard will record the highest grade from the two submissions.

If you have questions about this assignment, you can post them to your group discussion board for help. Please do not post the exact question from the assignment below and ask the group for the answer as this would constitute academic dishonesty.

Questions 1 - 4: Research Problem and Purpose. (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 2, 5, and 12)

1. Which choices below best reflect the problem statement for the instructor-assigned article?

a. The aim of this study was to explore the trajectory of associations between the nursing care

process of patient empowerment during postsurgical hospitalization and post discharge patient self-

management outcomes, specifically patient activation and functional health status.

b. The nature and scope of how empowerment effects life-threatening illnesses is unclear.

c. Based on the findings of this review of literature, patients with life threatening illnesses experience

feelings of powerlessness following surgery.

d. Little attention has been paid to provider processes used to empower patients during a

hospitalization.

2. Which of the choices below best reflects the purpose statement for the instructor assigned article?

a. Lack of empowerment negatively affects the nature of the caring relationship and healing environment, interfering with the nurses’ ability to observe, listen to, understand, and know the patient.

b. The aim of this study was to explore the trajectory of associations between the nursing care

process of patient empowerment during postsurgical hospitalization and post discharge patient self-

management outcomes, specifically patient activation and functional health status.

c. Meleis’s Transitions Theory was used as the theoretical framework for the study. It provides a

testable model for understanding the relationships between patients’ empowering behaviours and

patient’s engagement.

d. Based on the findings of this review of literature, it is recognized that perceived

empowerment and leadership abilities are major components of nursing and can be detrimental to

nurse decision-making.

3. According to Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015), which of the following statements are important when considering the significance and relevance of a study’s problem and purpose? (Select all that apply.)

a. Does it consider ethical principles in its design?

b. Does it predict the non-significant findings anticipated in the study?

c. Does it specifically influence nursing education in university settings?

d. Does it identify the future research to be generated by the study?

e. Does it promote theory testing or development?

f. Does it identify extraneous variables?

4. When considering the feasibility of a study’s problem and purpose, Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015) suggest that several areas should be evaluated, including: researcher expertise, money commitment, ethical considerations, and availability of subjects, facilities, and equipment. Which of the following statements accurately assesses the feasibility of this article? (Select all that apply)

a. Funding sources for the study were clearly identified in the article.

b. The author’s credentials to design and conduct research are described.

c. 100% of the eligible subjects contacted participated in the study.

d. Evidence of protection of the subjects’ rights was mentioned in this article.

Questions 5 - 7: Review of the Literature. (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 6 & 12.)

5. According to Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015), which one of the following is NOT a major purpose of the review of literature (ROL):

a. Describing the current knowledge of the practice problem

b. Identifying gaps in the knowledge base of the practice problem

c. Explaining how the current study contributes to the knowledge being built

d. To explain the reasons behind the selection of the statistics used in the study.

6. Select three MAJOR topics covered in the review of literature (ROL) from the list below:

a. Based on the findings of this review of literature, patients with life threatening illnesses experience

feelings of powerlessness following surgery.

b. Various patient characteristics or illness factors may influence patients’ perceptions of patient empowering nurse behaviors

c. A descriptive correlational design was used to examine the relationship of age, years licensed, education level, certification and their perceived empowering ability as a first responder among a sample of Medical-Surgical RNs.

d. Several important factors influence the experiences of nurses caring for critically ill patients, including clinical environment, professional relationships, patient assessment, nurses’ feelings, and education needs.

e. Patient-empowering nursing behaviors can facilitate patients’ activation of self-management and improved outsomes.

f. The researcher administered three instruments: the demographic tool, the Patient Perceptions of

Patient-Empowering Nurse Behaviors Scale (PPPNBS), the SF-36, and the Patient Activation

Measure (PAM-13).

7. Current knowledge in the review of literature (ROL) (all information included before the “Methods”) is considered to be articles that are within 5 years of the publication date of the article. This is often assessed by reviewing the citations that are used in the ROL and counting the number that meet this criterion. Which number below most closely reflects the number of current citations in the ROL? (HINT-look for references in the ROL that are between 2014-2009.)

a. 10

b. 23

c. 27

d. 32

Questions 8 - 10: Study Framework. (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 7 & 12)

8. Which of these statements best describes this study’s research framework? (Select all that apply)

a. This study has an implicit framework, which is not fully developed.

b. Meleis’s Transitions Theory was used as the theoretical framework for the study. It provides a

testable model for understanding the relationships between patients’ empowering behaviours and

patient’s engagement.

c. The authors developed the study’s theoretical framework based on Murphy and Fitzsimons (2004)

intervention study to determine nurses’ skill performance of patient-empowerment.

d. The Individual and Family Self-Management Theory identifies social facilitation as one of the

patient process components.

9. What are some of the key concepts in this study’s theoretical framework? (Select all that apply)

a. This study does not have any clearly defined concepts within a framework because it has an implicit framework.

b. There is a relationship between patient-empowering nurse behaviors and patient engagement.

c. Both theories evaluate outcomes as patterns of response and proximal outcomes.

10. Which one of the statements below is an example of a relational statement from the theoretical framework?

a. Stress is a major deterrent of empowerment in patients with life-threatening long-term illness.

b. This study does not have any clearly defined relational statements because it has an implicit framework.

c. Patients shift to self-management as they experience empowerment.

Questions 11 – 15: Research objectives, questions, or hypotheses and research variables. (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 5 & 12)

11. The author states that the first research objective, question, or hypothesis was “1) Patient characteristics

and illness factors will have significant associations with patient perceptions of patient-empowering nurse

behaviours; 2) Patient characteristics, illness factors and patient perceptions of patient-empowering

nurse behaviours will have significant associations with 6-week post discharge patient activation; and

3) Patient characteristics, illness factors, patient perceptions of patient-empowering nurse behaviours

and 6-week postdischarge patient activation will have significant associations with functional health

status (physical and mental) 6 weeks post discharge.” on page 1313. This is best described as a

a. Research objective

b. Research question

c. Research hypothesis

d. None of the above

12. Which of these are considered to be MAJOR study variables in this study. (Select all that apply)?

a. Functional health status

b. psychological stress

c. patient perceptions of patient-empowering nurse behaviors

d. patient activation

e. acute patient deterioration

13. What is the conceptual definition (as defined in the review of the literature) of the following study

variable: patient perceptions of patient-empowering nurse behaviors

a. The conceptual definition of patient perceptions of patient-empowering nurse behaviors includes the

provider processes nurses use during their care of the patent: (1) helping patients to realize that

they can and should participate in their care and treatment planning; (2) providing patients with

access to information, support, resources and opportunities to learn and grow; (3) helping to

facilitate collaboration with providers, family and friends; and (4) allowing patients autonomy in

decision-making.

b. Activated patients have the skills to engage in self-management behaviors.

c. The factors that influence acute activation need to be better understood.

d. The conceptual definition of patient perceptions of patient-empowering nurse behaviors is not

clearly provided in the review of the literature.

14. What is the operational definition (as defined in the methods section) of the following study variable: Patient activation

a. The conceptual definition of patient activation is not clearly provided in the review of the literature.

b. Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13)

c. No studies have compared empowerment abilities to perceived self-management in post-operative patients

d. Patient Perceptions of Patient-Empowering Nurse Behaviors Scale (PPPNBS)

15. Which demographic variables were assessed by the author for this study? (Select all that apply.)

a. Age

b. Socioeconomic status

c. Illness factors

d. Nursing specialty

e. Years in practice

f. Ethnicity/Race

Questions 16- 19: Research Design (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 1, 8, & 12)

16. Which phrase best describes the research design of this study?

a. Descriptive

b. Correlational

c. Quasi-experimental

d. Experimental

e. Mixed methods

17. Which phrase best describes the time element of the research design of this study?

a. Cross-sectional design

b. Longitudinal design

c. None of the above

18. Does the study include a treatment or intervention described in the methods section?

a. The Self-Confidence Scale used in the study may be considered a treatment or intervention.

b. 500 medical surgical nurses were invited to participate in the intervention.

c. The relationship between perceived-confidence and leadership abilities was assessed.

d. This study was not designed with a treatment or intervention.

19. Does the author specifically mention that a pilot study was done prior to conducting this study? (Hint: look at the words “prior to this study”.)

a. Yes

b. No

20. The authors indicate on page 1315 of the article that the institutional review board (IRB) authorization was acquired. This indicates than an IRB gave approval to conduct the research. In addition, an informed consent was provided to each participant. Per Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015), which of the following would NOT be considered essential information for informed consent? (Select all that apply.)

a. a statement of the research purpose and any long-term goals of the study

b. a copy of the abstract of the article that will be used in the publishing journal.

c. an explanation of the procedures to be followed in the study

d. a complete list of references to be used in the study.