Chose the article “Effects of a work-based critical reflection program for novice nurses” for my statistical analysis. This study focused on improving novice nurses’ confidence and communication skills by use of critical reflection. According to Kim et al., critical reflection is a fundamental component of clinical nursing practice, potentially impacting personal and professional development (2018). As a leader I would compare this somewhat to hand-on learning. For example, you know what you must do but doing it reinforces skill and competency. Nonparametric Tests and Results According to Schober & Vetter, nonparametric tests (such as the rank-test) use the ranks of the data instead of their actual values and can be used for all data that can be ranked such as original data, discrete data, and continuous data (2020). These tests are used when the data distribution assumptions of parametric are not met (Schober & Vetter, 2020). These tests are useful in the comparison of two paired (nonindependent) groups or two with-in subject measurements if the distribution of the between-group differences is symmetric (Schober & Vetter, 2020). Parametric Methods t-Tests and ANOVA are inappropriate for statistical analysis because there is always an assumption to be met, whereas nonparametric tests do not (Gray & Grove, 2020). In the reviewed study, the null hypothesis was rejected therefore the nonparametric test was used (Schober & Vetter, 2020). Strengths and Weaknesses The study obtained all the proper ethical approvals as well as participant consent. Both the control group and experimental group were not equal in size which may sway the results and the total participants were less than 50. It was a well thought out and executed study with questions regarding general characteristics, critical thinking skills, communication competency, and job performance. Contribution to EBP for Nursing Continual critical reflection can bridge the gap between theory, thus stimulating personal and professional development (Kim et al., 2018). By reinforcing novice nurses to critically think and communicate appropriately, positively impacts the nurse’s development as well as the patients in which they care for. References Gray, J. R., & Grove, S. K. (2020). Burns and Grove’s the practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (9th ed.). Elsevier. Kim, Y. H., Min, J., Kim, S. H., & Shin, S. (2018). Effects of a work-based critical reflection program for novice nurses. BMC Medical Education, 18(30), 1–6. doi:10.1186/s12909-018-1135-0 Schober, P., & Vetter, T. R. (2020). Nonparametric statistical methods in medical research. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 131(6), 1862–1863. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000005101 2ND POST Statistical Analysis in Nursing Ravindran (2019) defined Statistical Analysis as the science of organizing, exploring, summarizing, and presenting large amounts of data to discover underlying patterns and trends. The method which sheds light on the hidden truth is known as statistical analysis. (p. 62) Statistical analysis has many methods and procedures that are very different and singular in application but share a common goal: the translation of numbers, variables, and data into valuable knowledge and clear representativity of each pursued objective. To accomplish this week’s discussion post, we choose the following article for the critical analysis: Article: Effects of a work-based critical reflection program for novice nurses. Kim, Y. H., Min, J., Kim, S. H., & Shin, S. (2018). Effects of a work-based critical reflection program for novice nurses. BMC Medical Education, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1135-0 What are the goals and purpose of the research study described by the article you selected? Critical reflection is a meta-cognitive skill and a key mechanism in the process of critical thinking, and it is a fundamental component of clinical nursing practice, potentially impacting personal and professional development. The authors of this study are meant to evaluate the effectiveness of a work-based critical reflection program to enhance novice nurses’ clinical critical-thinking abilities, communication competency, and job performance. How are nonparametric tests used in the research study? What are the results of their use? Be specific. Parametric tests can test a broader range of alternative hypotheses and typically are more appropriate for healthcare studies. Still, some scenarios exist where postulates for a parametric test are infringed, and a nonparametric test is more accurate. According to Schober & Vetter (2020), Nonparametric methods are commonly used when data distribution assumptions of parametric tests are not met. In practice, researchers often assess whether the outcome variable is normally distributed and use a nonparametric test when it is not. For the presented study, the authors applied the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, a nonparametric test, to evaluate differences between two distributions. After the null hypothesis was rejected, and based on the normal test results, they also applied other nonparametric methods, such as the Mann-Whitney U-test and Wilcoxon rank sum, to evaluate differences in mean ranks and to assess the null hypothesis that the medians were equal across groups. The statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05. Kim et al. (2018) found no statistically significant differences, indicating that the two groups were largely homogeneous. The mean age of the control group was 23.2 (± 1.16) years, and the mean age of the experimental group was 23.3 (± 1.45) years. Regarding the efficacy of the work-based critical reflection program, the clinical critical-thinking skills improved significantly in the experimental group (p = 0.003). The differences in the mean rank of communication ability between the two groups were significantly different (p = 0.028). Job performance improved significantly in both the experimental and control groups, so there were no statistical differences (p = 0.294). Why are parametric methods (t-tests and ANOVA) inappropriate for the statistical analysis of the research study’s data? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research study (e.g., study design, sampling, and measurement)? In our opinion, the sampling selection and size is the study’s greatest weakness. The author’s designated participants from a unique hospital in South Korea, and the data collected responded to only 44 novice nurses, which is not representative of the entire population in the same study area. Those limitations negatively impact the results and validity of the arrived conclusions. The same authors recommended further research with similar objectives among more diverse and larger samples to support or deny the stated findings. How could the findings and recommendations of the research study contribute to evidence-based practice for nursing? Critical reflection has been identified as an effective method to improve students’ communication skills and confidence. This set of good aptitudes is essential to promote high standards of care and improved patient experience when it is achieved.
