Finding Knowledge
The three methods that nurses can use to find knowledge include authority, scientific approach, and empiricism. The scientific method is the main approach nurses use to find knowledge. According to Sturm and Sunyaev (2019), the scientific method involves gathering and evaluating evidence-based data and using the results to make clinical decisions.
The key data collection approaches in the scientific method include quantitative and qualitative frameworks. Empiricism involves using experience and observation to find knowledge. In this method, nurses use what they have experienced and observed since they started working as nurse practitioners to answer various clinical questions (Krumrei-Mancuso et al., 2020). The Authority method is where nurses utilize authoritative figures in the nursing field as a source of information.
Some of the authoritative figures that can be used as sources of knowledge include the Centers for Disease Control, American Nursing Association, and Food and Drug Administration agency. Nurses should have an effective step to find knowledge for these methods to be effective. The paper herein discusses a specific, detailed step-by-step process that can be used to find knowledge. The paper also discusses where the knowledge will be found and how its appropriateness will be determined.
Steps Used to Find Knowledge
The following nine-step model will be used to find knowledge for the industry. The first step is the identification of knowledge needed by the industry. Knowledge can be needed in nursing for various purposes. For instance, knowledge can be needed to solve the problem of child obesity. The knowledge needed acts as the focus of the process. In other words, the nurse should identify the focus of the research.
Knowledge finding can focus on treatment methods, prevention strategies, disease management approaches, and many more. The issue or problem that is the focus of the process should be clear and well-defined. The second step is formulating the clinical question that will guide the process. This step shows the information to look for and determines the method used in finding knowledge. The clinical question should also be clear.
The third step is determining the method used to find knowledge. A nurse can use science, experience, and authority to find knowledge. The three methods can be combined to increase data sources and improve the search. The fourth step is data collection. After determining the method the nurse will use in finding data, the individual should identify the data collection methods that will be used to collect information. Moser and Korstjens (2018) argue that data collection is the most significant step in finding knowledge.
Nurses should ensure that they collect correct and relevant data consistent with the clinical question to improve the accuracy of knowledge found. If nurses use the scientific method to find knowledge, they can collect data through questionnaires, focus groups, case studies, interviews, and systematic reviews (Moser & Korstjens, 2018). Data collection in empiricism is usually done using observations. Reports from authoritative features also serve as data collection tools.
The fifth step is organizing the collected data. Data organization is vital because it allows for systematic arrangement of gathered raw data to make it easy for the information to be understood and ready for analysis. Irrelevant and incorrect data is often eliminated during the organization of data. The sixth step is data summarization.
Data is summarized in this stage to add sense to it. Information can be presented in graphical or tabular form for easy analysis in this stage. Data summary can be done using software packages, charts, and other available techniques. The seventh step is an analysis of the data. Data analysis is another vital part of the knowledge finding process. Data analysis can be done in various formats depending on the data collection approaches.
Data collected using the qualitative method can be analyzed using content analysis, document analysis, grounded theory, narrative analysis, and discourse analysis methods. Data collected using the quantitative method can be analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential analysis approaches. Data analysis will make studying collected data easier and more accurate. This step will help a nurse learn about the clinical question being asked.
The eighth step is data synthesis. In this step, a nurse will synthesize the analyzed data and get knowledge out of it. Data analyzed are combined in this stage to derive various information and concepts. The last step is deciding the data collected. After following all the seven steps above, the nu
Order this paper