Deck 2: Theory, Research, and Evidence-Based Practice

Question 1

What is the ultimate goal of expanding nursing knowledge through nursing research?

A) Learn improved ways to promote and maintain health.
B) Develop technology to provide hands-on nursing care.
C) Apply knowledge to become independent practitioners.
D) Become full-fledged partners with other care providers.

Answer 1

Learn improved ways to promote and maintain health.

Question 2

One step in implementing evidence-based practice is to ask a question about a clinical area of interest or an intervention. The most common method is the PICO format. Which of the following accurately defines the letters in the PICO acronym?

A) P = population
B) I = institution
C) C = compromise
D) O = output

Answer 2

P = population

Question 3

During the first half of the 20th century, a change in the structure of society resulted in changed roles for women and, in turn, for nursing. What was one of these changes?

A) More women retired from the workforce to raise families.
B) Women became more dependent and sought higher education.
C) The focus of nursing changed to "hands-on training."
D) Nursing research was conducted and published.

Answer 3

Nursing research was conducted and published.

Question 4

There are four concepts common in all nursing theories. Which one of the four concepts is the focus of nursing?

A) Person
B) Environment
C) Health
D) Nursing

Question 5

The practice of changing patients' bedclothes each day in acute care settings is an example of what type of knowledge?

A) Authoritative
B) Traditional
C) Scientific
D) Applied

Question 6

An obstetrical nurse wishes to identify whether clients' perceptions of a high level of support from their partner is associated with a decreased length of the second stage of labor. Which type of quantitative research is most appropriate for this research question?

A) Correlational research
B) Descriptive research
C) Quasi-experimental research
D) Experimental research

Question 7

A student nurse learns how to give injections from the nurse manager. This is an example of the acquisition of what type of knowledge?

A) Authoritative
B) Traditional
C) Scientific
D) Applied

Question 8

A staff development nurse is asking a group of new staff nurses to read and be prepared to discuss a qualitative study that focuses on nursing events of the past. This is done in an attempt to increase understanding of the nursing profession today. What method of qualitative research is used in this article?

A) Historical
B) Phenomenology
C) Grounded theory
D) Ethnography

Question 9

A nurse researcher is studying perceptions of vocational rehabilitation for clients after a spinal cord injury. What type of research method will be used to study the perceptions of this group of individuals?

A) Qualitative research
B) Quantitative research
C) Basic research
D) Applied research

Question 10

In understanding the historical influences on nursing knowledge, nursing as a profession struggled for years to establish its own identify and to receive recognition for its contributions to health care. Why?

A) The conceptual and theoretical basis for nursing practice came from outside the profession.
B) Nurses were too busy working in practice to increase the public awareness associated with the role of the nurse.
C) Nurses spent most of their time in laboratory settings conducting research.
D) Women were independent and refused to work collectively.

Question 11

Why are the developmental theories important to nursing practice?

A) They describe how parts work together as a system.
B) They outline the process of human growth and development.
C) They define human adaptation to others and to the environment.
D) They explain the importance of legal and ethical care.

Question 12

Which of the following theories emphasizes the relationships between the whole and the parts, and describes how parts function and behave?

A) General systems theory
B) Nursing theory
C) Adaptation theory
D) Developmental theory

Question 13

A client undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumor believes that having a good attitude will help in the healing process. This is an example of what type of knowledge?

A) Science
B) Philosophy
C) Process
D) Virtue

Question 14

Nurse researchers have predicted that a newly created mentorship program will result in decreased absenteeism, increased retention, and decreased attrition among a hospital's nursing staff. Which of the following does this predicted relationship represent?

A) Hypothesis
B) Dependent variable
C) Abstract
D) Methodology

Question 15

Before developing a procedure, a nurse reviews all current research-based literature on insertion of a nasogastric tube. What type of nursing will be practiced based on this review?

A) Institutional practice
B) Authoritative nursing
C) Evidence-based nursing
D) Factual-based nursing

Question 16

Which of the following accurately describes Florence Nightingale's influence on nursing knowledge?

A) She defined nursing practice as the continuation of medical practice.
B) She differentiated between health nursing and illness nursing.
C) She established training for nurses under the direction of the medical profession.
D) She established a theoretical base for nursing that originated outside the profession.

Question 17

A staff nurse asks a student, "Why in the world are you studying nursing theory?" How would the student best respond?

A) "Our school requires we take it before we can graduate."
B) "We do it so we know more than your generation did."
C) "I think it explains how we should collaborate with others."
D) "It helps explain how nursing is different from medicine."

Question 18

After reviewing several research articles, the clinical nurse specialist on a medical surgical unit rewrites the procedure on assessing placement of a nasogastric tube. What source of nursing knowledge did the nurse use in this situation?

A) Scientific knowledge
B) Traditional knowledge
C) Authoritative knowledge
D) Philosophical knowledge

Question 19

What was significant about the promotion of the National Center for Nursing Research to the current National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)?

A) Increased numbers of articles are published in research journals.
B) NINR gained equal status with all other National Institutes of Health.
C) NINR became the major research body of the International Council of Nurses.
D) It decreased emphasis on clinical research as an important area for nursing.

Question 20

Which of the following is a responsibility of an institutional review board (IRB)?

A) Secure informed consent for researchers
B) Review written accuracy of research proposals
C) Determine risk status of all studies
D) Secure funding for institutional research

Question 21

The nurse understands that general systems theory has important implications in nursing. Which of the following is an assumption of the general systems theory?

A) Human systems are open and dynamic.
B) All humans are born with instinctive needs.
C) Human needs are motivational forces.
D) People grow and change throughout their lives.

Question 22

A nursing student is conducting a literature review via the Internet to identify a problem area that may be applicable in scope for nursing. When conducting the search, which of the following would be most important for the student to keep in mind?

A) The Internet should be the last resort for scientific literature review.
B) Very few nursing sites are available through the Internet.
C) Most websites that provide nursing information are reliable.
D) MedLine is a reputable online database of nursing information.

Question 23

Nursing research is linked most closely to what?

A) Propositions
B) Outcome measures
C) Treatments
D) Nursing process

Question 24

In what way can a nurse differentiate strong research from poor research?

A) By conducting the research
B) Through author dialogue
C) By critiquing the study
D) Through the nurse's own informal investigation

Question 25

The nurse working in research correctly identifies which of the following to be mandatory for the ethical conduction of research in a hospital setting?

A) Clients must grant informed consent if they are to participate.
B) All interventions must benefit all clients.
C) The client must directly and personally benefit from the research.
D) Descriptive studies are more ethical than experimental studies.

Question 26

Which qualitative research method is described as follows: to describe experiences as they are lived by the subjects being studied?

A) Historical
B) Ethnography
C) Grounded theory
D) Phenomenology

Question 27

Which of the following are characteristics of nursing theories? Select all that apply.

A) They provide rational reasons for nursing interventions.
B) They are based on descriptions of what nursing should be.
C) They provide a knowledge base for appropriate nursing responses.
D) They provide a base for discussion of nursing issues.
E) They help resolve current nursing issues and establish trends.

Question 28

A group of students is reviewing information about evidence-based practice in preparation for an exam. The students demonstrate understanding of the information when they identify which of the following as associated with evidence-based practice?

A) It emphasizes personal experience over science.
B) Clinical expertise is integrated with external evidence.
C) It involves gaining solutions to problems.
D) The purpose is to learn about a specific problem.

Question 29

Which of the following research studies would be of most interest to a nurse manager?

A) Sister Callista Roy's theory on adaptation
B) Patricia Benner's From Novice to Expert
C) Kleinpell and Ferrans' older intensive-care clients
D) Madeleine Leininger's transcultural nursing theory

Question 30

How are the first stages of the nursing process and nursing research linked?

A) They will answer a posed question.
B) Each begins with goal development.
C) The nurse assesses problems initially.
D) There is a period of evaluation.

Question 31

A nursing instructor would like to study the effect peer tutoring has on student success. What is the independent variable?

A) Nursing student
B) Nursing education
C) Peer tutoring
D) Student success

Question 32

Which of the following are examples of characteristics of evidence-based practice? Select all that apply.

A) It is a problem-solving approach.
B) It uses the best evidence available.
C) It is generally accepted in clinical practice.
D) It is based on current institutional protocols.
E) It blends the science and art of nursing.

Question 33

Which of the following examples represents the type of knowledge known as process? Select all that apply.

A) A nurse dispenses medications to clients.
B) A nurse changes the linens on a client's bed.
C) A nurse studies a nursing journal article on infection control.
D) A nurse consults an ethics committee regarding an ethical dilemma.
E) A nurse believes in providing culturally competent nursing care.

Question 34

A nurse researcher decides to conduct a qualitative research study. With which of the following would the researcher be involved?

A) Collection of numerical data
B) Determination of cause and effect
C) Controlling personal biases
D) Real world data collection

Question 35

A nursing student has been asked to correlate her clinical experiences with two different theories of nursing. The student will recognize that which of the following concepts are common to all theories of nursing? Select all that apply.

A) The client
B) The environment
C) Illness
D) Needs
E) Nursing