A researcher is studying the way that ICU nurses prioritize the charting responsibilities for their 12-hour shift

Question

The researcher happens to discover that nurses are administering medications as close to the ordered times as possible but consistently charting the times at which medications are ordered, not the time they are actually administered, even though that may be two or three hours later. What could the researcher do with this information? (Select all that apply.)
a. The researcher makes the nurse manager aware of the finding, after the study data have all been collected, because this is essentially a medication charting error.
b. Nothing. This is not a focus of the study, and the information must be suppressed.
c. The researcher takes time to educate individual nurses, so that they understand that what they are doing is not honest.
d. The researcher includes the findings in the article, stating that this is a time-saving strategy, since the computer allows charting of meds when ordered (instead of when administered) as a block, saving time.
e. The researcher reports this information under Serendipitous Discoveries in the article that results from the study.

Answer 1

ANS: A, B, E
Serendipity is the accidental discovery of something useful or valuable. During the data collection phase of studies, researchers often become aware of elements or relationships that they had not previously identified. These aspects may be closely related to the study being conducted or have little connection with it. They come from increased awareness and close observation of the study situation. Because the researcher is focused on close observation, other elements in the situation can come into clearer focus and take on new meaning. Serendipitous findings are important to the development of new insights in nursing theory. They can be important for understanding the totality of the phenomenon being examined.
Educating individual nurses is sure to alienate staff. The manager is the logical choice for a person in whom to confide this information. Obviously, this should be communicated as, "Some nurses..." rather than naming names, since the nurses' privacy would be violated by telling their names.