The Role of the Non -ICU Staff Nurse on a Medical Emergency Team: Perceptions and Understanding
Introduction Quantitative methodologies are methods, research types, or procedure used in a quantitative type of research. Quantitative research is defined as a formal, systematic, and objective process used to describe variables, examine relationships among variables, and determines cause and effect relationships between variables (Burns & Grove, 2005, p. 23). Nursing researchers prefer the use of qualitative research because of a substantial knowledge guiding nursing practice. Quantitative methodology is also a form of research design which examines the numerical features or frequency of a variable, an example is the percentage of medical-emergency teams (METs) who understand their roles or the number of staff nurses who feel comfortable in initiating MET-calls (Holland & Rees, 2010, p. 108). Since 1930, a lot of researchers prefer only the quantitative methods as the most scientific approach in conducting a research. The philosophical origin of quantitative methodologies are derived from logical positivism or empiricism, which convey a scientific inquiry base on logic, truth, laws, axioms, and predictions (Burns & Grove, 2005, p. 23). The research article on the role of the non -ICU staff nurse on a medical emergency team including their perceptions and understandings employed the quantitative methodologies and laid out the contributions of METs in decreasing in-hospital cardiac arrests, unplanned ICU admissions, and overall hospital mortality rates as well as the numerical and variable relationships between the nursing staffs familiarity and perceptions about METs. Analysis of Quantitative Methodology To analyze quantitative methodology of nursing practice, an example of research utilizing quantitative methodologies is taken into analysis. Pusateri, Prior, & Kiely (2011) conducted a research on the role of the non-ICU staff nurse on a medical emergency team as well as their perceptions and understanding (p.22). There are several ways to conduct a quantitative methodology. Quantitative research methods include descriptive, exploratory, survey, historical review, cross-section, longitudinal, retrospective, prospective, correlational, quasi-experimental, and experimental (Ricks, 2004, p. 117). The research sample utilized the survey method as researchers developed a 30-item survey form consisting of 13 demographic and background items and 17 items based on a 5-point Likert agreement scale intended for the 388 nurses at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the research example, a quantitative methodology is preferred over the qualitative methodology because of the approach a quantitative methodology has. Since the researchers utilized the survey method, results of the survey will be gathered numerically by the use of statistical measurement. The quantitative approach will also explain the role of non-ICU staff nurse on METs and predict the relationship between METs, nurse retention and recruitment, and patient care outcome. Because of quantitative research, the numerical data gathered can be used to generalize the finding and deduct conclusions from survey’s result (Watson, 2008, p. 17). Quantitative methodology is more objective and is always use in evidence-based practice in nursing. It resulted in identification of medical emergency team as a very important and helpful member of the medical departments, surgical departments, emergency room, and ICU during the time when a patient suffered from abnormal vital signs and neurologic conditions.Quantitative methodology also identified that the presence of non-ICU staff nurses have been shown to contribute to a decrease in in-hospital cardiac arrests, unplanned ICU admissions, and overall hospital mortality rates. Reliability of the Selected Research Article The 30-item survey checklist used in the study to collect data from 388 nurses at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania had been developed after examining survey formats used in previous studies of nurses perceptions of and attitudes toward METs. Based on scholarly basis, the tool has both validity and reliability. To increase the accuracy of gathered data, survey was administered after two years and five months of implementing METs in Allegheny General Hospital. Extensive information dissemination were given to staff hired before implementation of the MET, staff hired after implementation of the MET, and non-ICU staff nurses. The result of the research was verified under a second investigator. Implications for Practice of Quantitative Methodology Holland& Rees (2010) identified the implications of quantitative methodology to evidence-based practice: (1) identify the need for changes in current interventions and practice in nursing to improve patient outcome, and (2) identify the most effective intervention in care amon
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