DQ: Name two different methods for evaluating evidence NRS 493  Topic 3 DQ 2

DQ: Name two different methods for evaluating evidence NRS 493  Topic 3 DQ 2

In nursing research, the evaluation of evidence is a vital aspect when it comes to decision-making and the development of evidence. This is because the evaluation of evidence gives rise to the evidence that will aid in the decision making. That said, there are two major ways of evaluating evidence. The first way is the qualitative method. Qualitative evaluation of data occurs when data has been deleted qualitatively through either direct or participant observation, review of literature, focus groups, case studies and interviews (Marston et al., 2020). Qualitative evaluation of data entails exploring and examining. the data collected, comparing and contrasting the ideas and then eventually, interpreting the patterns arising from the data collected. This data is however evaluated using non-numerical methods and thus, some of the strategies that are used are usually thematic evaluation and content evaluation of the data where the data is evaluated based on the themes present, or the content within the sources of data

. This model of evaluation has however been associated with certain shortcomings, key among them being that it is purely subjective as it is not statistically grounded. Furthermore, the data generated may be skewed as interpretation relies on the experience of the researcher. However, qualitative evaluation methods have a range of strength as well, including the fact that research topics can be examined in great detail and this arises due to the fact that the interviews are not restricted. to specific questions. Furthermore, as new information emerges qualitative evaluation is flexible and it allows for changes in methodology and direction.

There are various different methods for evaluating evidence. The two main methods are categorized as quantitative and qualitative methods of evaluating evidence. Quantitative methods involve the use of assessing and collecting data in numerical forms. This includes but is not restricted to calculating standard deviation, mean or average, Mann Whitney tests etc (Quantitative research and analysis: Quantitative methods overview, 2021). This form of data is measurable and is more easily able to use to predict a pattern or finding. Most research and experiments conducted in nursing, research, and other fields involve the collection of quantitative data and quantitative methods of research because it is more reliable and straight forward than qualitative tests. Qualitative methods and analyze data based on qualitative categories such as experiences, perceptions, observations, and processes rather than numerical data that shows cause and effect.

This type of methos is useful when trying to find a correlation and especially important between a physician and patients. The patient presents qualitative data like how they’re feeling, where the pain is from, and what type of pain they are in along with other symptoms they are experiencing so that the physician can use these qualitative data points to match the disease that is typically linked with the symptoms that the patient is also exhibiting. Whereas, in the context of a patient and physician, the patients reporting of how many times they have went to the restroom, their caloric intake, and other information like weight, height, body mass index, blood pressure, heart rate etc. are all forms of quantitative data. The pros of qualitative research are that it allows for flexibility and creativity because the scope of the project is continuously changing as more data is collected. While there are benefits, cons of qualitative research include the fact that they are very open to interpretation and therefore very subjective.

This allows for a greater amount of bias which includes participant bias and researcher bias which will compromise the reliability and accuracy of the experiment as a whole. Qualitative research is also conducted on smaller sample sizes because data collection is usually longer and more tedious with more costs. As for quantitative research, pros include the fact that data is objective, and bias is much more limited than in qualitative studies. Data collected from quantitative methods can also be collected a lot easier and communicated through data sheets, statistics, charts, and graphs which make it simpler to follow. Unlike qualitative data, new technology and software systems can easily compute data and manipulate it to isolated variables that the researcher is looking for to find a cause and effect. While there are benefits, the cons of quantitative research include that it is very restrictive and there is one clear answer rather than participants being allowed to elaborate on their answers for more context. Furthermore, analysis of statistics gathered in quantitative research calls for a much larger pool of participants. Both qualitative and quantitative research seek to find correlations in the collected data and b