The hospital research committee is contemplating a study to analyze the impact of changing one type of dressing material. In which order should the committee complete this study?

Question

1. Collect data
2. Analyze data
3. Design the study
4. Predict outcomes
5. Identify the problem
6. Interpret the findings
7. Formulate a statement
8. Search existing literature

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 5, 7, 8, 4, 3, 1, 2, 6

There are several important steps in the conduct of research, and each of these requires decision making by the researcher. The first step is identification of the problem. Once the problem is clearly identified and a statement is formulated, the next step is a search of existing literature, especially related research. Once the researcher has identified the problem, reviewed the literature, and identified specific research questions or hypotheses (predictions of outcomes), an appropriate study can be designed to answer the questions or test the hypotheses. Data collection can then be done. Once the data are analyzed and results are known, the researcher must be very careful about the interpretation of those results and be certain that any conclusions are directly supported by the study data.