Research for Health Professionals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research for Health Professionals - Essay Example Therefore, basic research is undertaken to extend the base of knowledge in a discipline that helps to refine and redefine a theory (Pope & Mays, 2004). Critical Analysis Skills: Critical analysis is a multidimensional skill, a cognitive or mental process or set of procedures (Timmins, 2006). It involves reasoning and purposeful, systematic, reflective, rational, outcome-directed thinking based on a body of knowledge, as well as examination and analysis of all available information and ideas. Nursing practice mandates the use of high-level, systematic and organized critical thinking skills within the nursing process since it enhances clinical decision making, helping to identify patient needs and to determine the best nursing actions that will assist the patient in meeting those needs (Evans, 2003). Evidence-Based Practice: Nursing practice is increasingly dependent on evidence-based practice, where patient care decisions are made on the basis of the most updated and best clinical evidence. It is generally agreed that research findings from rigorous and relevant studies comprise the best type of evidence for modifying and reinforcing the nurses' decision-making processes, actions in the practice area, and interactions with clients. This indicates that nursing actions would increasingly be based on research evidences that would lead to clinically appropriate, cost-effective nursing actions with intent to producing more positive outcomes for the clients (Goldenberg, 2006). Research and Advancement in Nursing Practice: The advancement of the nursing profession would be heavily reliant on the integration of research, research outcomes, and education into the practice setting. Clinical nursing is and is expected to be enhanced by the products of research activities, development of theory and validation, identification of problems, and resolution of those based on science that is the derivative of research. This would, as expected, lead to the desired development of new nursing knowledge, advancement of health policies, and ultimately would culminate into enhancement of nursing profession (Sackett, Straus, , & Richardson, 2000). Key Elements of Literature Review: The "evidence" in the evidence-based practice is gained by systemically searching and analyzing reports of studies and research that are accessed through databases and libraries. In fact, the systemic review process is also a form of research where the reviewer develops a protocol for the review, asks legitimate questions, endeavors to glean the evidence, appraises it, and takes decisions whether the evidence is applicable in practice. In that sense, a research or literature review is not a summary of the study, rather it is a careful appraisal of its merits and flaws. A good critique objectively identifies both adequacy and inadequacy, and virtues as well as faults. This task involves a background literature review, formulating objectives and questions and describing inclusion criteria, a search strategy for the literature, assessment criteria, extraction and synthesis of data (Paterson, Thorne, Canam, & Jillings, 2001). Critical Analysis of the Literature Review In the paper, The Study of Nursing Documentation Complexities, published in