A nurse researcher works on a subacute orthopedic hospital floor. The researcher observes that elder patients with knee replacements sleep as many as 16 hours a day, waking only for physical therapy and meals, but the researcher also notices that those with many visitors sleep fewer hours and seem to experience more pain. The researcher wonders whether sleep in elders after knee replacement prevents pain, or whether elders select the coping strategy of sleeping more, in response to pain, and begins to attempt to identify the relationship between the two. A literature search reveals only three descriptive studies on this general topic, one quantitative and two qualitative, and none of the three explains the relationship between amount of sleep and pain. Which statement is true?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The researcher has indeed identified and narrowed down the area of interest, reviewed existing literature, and pinpointed a gap in understanding the relationship between sleep and pain in elders after knee replacement surgery. This process lays a solid foundation for formulating a researchable purpose, indicating that the investigation into this topic can proceed either quantitatively or qualitatively.

A Nurse Researcher Works on a Subacute Orthopedic Hospital Floor