Developing your idea for a research project.

Abstract

People may find themselves in school with a requirement to develop a research proposal or even to conduct a study. Others, for example, military officers, may be required to conduct research as they seek promotion through the ranks. These people are often at a loss about even how to begin. There are numerous strategies for identifying research problems of interest. First, identify the problems or issues that come up repeatedly in your practice area. What are the unsolved problems that take considerable staff time? What client/ family or institutional issues often give rise to frustration among the staff? What processes of care could be done better? What nursing practices or protocols are under review in your institution for revision? Any of these ideas could give rise to various types of studies. A survey or qualitative study could be designed to identify and better understand issues, or to explore how clients, families, or staff perceive them. A quasiexperimental or experimental study could be designed to compare the usual way of doing something with a new, improved way. An outcomes study could be designed to assess the impact of a policy or protocol change, or to test a clinical pathway. Such a study might be based on findings of the quality assurance staff. Perhaps in your institution there is a debate about resource allocation or shifting lines of authority, which may directly affect the way your unit cares for patients. Perhaps a study could be designed that will bolster your ability to advocate effectively on behalf of your clients and colleagues. I often suggest that people interested in identifying a research topic keep a pocket notebook in which they jot down their ideas as they arise. Nurses are often amazed at the long list of ideas that they quickly generate. Another fruitful approach is to consider what research the current literature in your area of clinical practice or expertise suggests. Most published research will include mention of further questions for study that have been raised. State-of-the-science review articles are extremely useful in identifying what is known about a given clinical topic as well as where the knowledge gaps or uncertainties lay. In addition, many clinical articles identify issues about which little is known, or about which the available information is contradictory or inconclusive.