Using Quantitative Research for Evidence Based Practice

Example #1

Case

Mabel is a 6-week-old baby at her routine follow-up. She was born prematurely at 35 weeks. You want to tell the parents about her chances of developing hearing problems.

Question

In infants born prematurely, compared to those born at full term, what is the subsequent lifetime prevalence of sensory deafness?

Example #2

Case

You coordinate health education programs and have been holding seminars for low-income teenagers about STI prevention. You’ve found that they’re hesitant to open up to you during classes to ask you questions. You’re wondering if recruiting peer educators closer to their age will encourage them to actively participate and get more satisfaction out of the classes

Question

In low-income adolescents, will a peer-led STI prevention class result in greater participation and client satisfaction when compared to an Adult-led class?

Example #3

Case

You’re a school social worker at a school in a low-income area. One aspect of your job is counseling pregnant teens with the aim of enabling them to complete high school. You’ve even been conducting home visits on top of your normal in-school meetings as part of their preparation-for- motherhood counseling. You want sources to back up the effectiveness of these home visits.

Question

In pregnant high-school adolescents, do home visits adjunct to in school interventions decrease dropout rate when compared with in school interventions alone?

Example #4

Case

You work with patients with advanced cancer and have been taught to suggest pain diaries for your patients as a form of pain management. You’ve been wondering for a while now if these diaries actually improve pain control or make pain worse by making patients more aware of their pain.

Question

In patients with advanced cancer, does keeping a pain journal result in lower reported pain scores when compared to no intervention?