Sampling Methods in Research
- What sampling method or plan was used by the authors in this study?
- Simple random sampling
- Convenience sampling
- Systematic sampling
- Network sampling
- According to Grove and Gray (2019), which of the following best describes the potential biases of this sampling method
This is a strong probability sampling method with very little potential for bias.
This method is used when an ordered list of all members of the population are available, and provides a random but not equal chance for inclusion in the study.
This method provides little opportunity to control for bias because subjects are included in the study merely because they happen to be in the right place at the right time.
This method is specific to the individuals who were recruited and the information gained cannot be generalized to others who don’t share these types of experiences.
None of the above biases best describe the sampling method chosen by the author.
- What was the final sample size reported by the authors for this study?
21 pairs of patients and caregivers
148 pairs of patients and caregivers
127 pairs of patients and caregivers
Unknown/cannot be determined
- Was a power analysis conducted? If so, which statement best describes the results of the power analysis?
The authors mention that a power analysis was conducted using a power of 0.8, an alpha value of 0.5, and a moderate effect size.
The authors mention that an power analysis was conducted, and 127 matched pairs were determined to be needed for the study.
The authors do not report that a power analysis was conducted.
No answer text provided
- Which of these statements would be considered to be specific inclusion criterion for the sample in the research article
The participants are able to understand English.
The participants are 20 years of age or older.
The participants are associated with a teaching hospital in Taiwan.
No inclusion criteria were specifically reported by the authors.
- Which of these statements would be considered to be exclusion criterion specifically identified by the author for the sample in the research article
The participants are not able to understand English
The participants hired a foreign worker after discharge.
The participants have been in the caregiver role for less than 3 months
No exclusion criteria were specifically reported by the authors
- What is the acceptance rate for this study? (Hint: see page 232 in your text
100%
127/148 X 100% = 85%
21/127 X 100% = 16
No answer text provided.
- Which of the following would be accurate for the attrition rate for this study?
21/127 X 100% = 16%
127/148 X 100% = 85%
This was a cross-sectional study so the concept of attrition does not apply
No answer text provided.
- What was the setting for this research study? Briefly describe the setting and indicate whether it was appropriate for conducting this study.
The setting for this study was a highly controlled setting and was appropriate for this study’s research design.
The setting for this study was not well described by the authors and therefore not appropriate for conducting this study.
The setting for this study was a natural or field setting and was appropriate for this study’s research design.
No answer text provided.
- Which of these questionnaires, scales, or physiologic measures are used in this research study?
The Common Sense Model of Illness Representation (CSMIR)
The Chinese Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised-Trauma (the Chinese IPQ-R-Trauma)
The Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised (IPQ-R)
No answer text provided.
- How do the authors describe the CURRENT reliability of the Chinese Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised-Trauma (the Chinese IPQ-R-Trauma)?
They stated that the instrument has well-established evidence of reliability from previous studie
They tested the current group of subjects using two different versions of the same scale (alternate forms reliability).
They computed a Cronbach’s alpha on the scale for each group of subjects.
They allowed the participants to complete the questionnaire in a location of their own choice.
- How do the authors describe the validity of the Chinese Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised-Trauma (the Chinese IPQ-R-Trauma) used in this study
Content validity was established for the Chinese Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised-Trauma (the Chinese IPQ-R-Trauma) prior to being used in this study.
An item-level content validity index (I-CVI) for the Chinese Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised-Trauma (the Chinese IPQ-R-Trauma) was determined by five trauma experts.
The Chinese Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised-Trauma (the Chinese IPQ-R-Trauma) was examined by face, construct, and discriminant validity methods
The readability levels were identified prior to being used in this study.
- What types of questionnaires or surveys were used in this research study?
(Select all that apply
The authors developed the The Common Sense Model of Illness Representation (CSMIR)
The authors developed their own questions to ask about demographic information.
Interviews were reportedly used, but the author does not explain what was included in them.
The authors used previously developed questionnaires or surveys to assess illness perceptions of patients and their caregivers.
The authors developed their own questions to assess illness perceptions.
This study did not use any questionnaires or surveys.
- Were any physiological measurements collected from the subjects for the purpose of this study?
Yes
No
No answer text provided.
No answer text provided.
- Which of the following best describes the data collection process used in this study?
(Select all that apply)
Participants were contacted by phone by nurse researcher.
Participants were given the questionnaires before or after outpatient department consultations .
Questionnaires / surveys were mailed to the participants and returned in a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Researchers consented participants after face to face discussion of the study.
Clinical data of the injured patients were obtained from medical records.
- Based on the study’s data collection methods, if there were more than one data collector, would an estimation of inter-rater reliability be an important concept for the authors to report on for this study?
Yes, and the authors reported their efforts to achieve inter-rater reliability.
Yes, but the authors do not discuss any efforts to achieve inter-rater reliability.
No, the issue of inter-rater reliability does not apply here.
No answer text provided.
- What descriptive statistics are used in this study? (Select all that apply)
mean
median
frequencies
standard deviation
percentage distributions
range
Independent sample t tests
- Which of these inferential statistics were used to examine the data obtained from the participants? (Select all that apply)
Pearson correlations
Factor Analysis
Paired sample t tests
Analysis of variances
Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient
Independent-sample t tests
Logistic regression analysis
z score
None of the above inferential statistics were used in this study.
- What is the level of significance (alpha level) set at for this study?
0.01
0.05
0.00625
0.10
An alpha level or level of significance chosen by the authors was not specifically mentioned in the text of the article.
- There are several statistically significant findings in this study. Which statement from the article would be considered a significant result?
Both patients and the caregivers perceived an average of six to seven physical symptoms caused by the injury, but the mean subscale scores for causes among both patients and caregivers were low, indicating that both groups had weak perceptions about the reasons for injury (t = -2.15, p = .033).
The average score for patients on the control/cure subscale was 3.71 (SD = 0.72).
Approximately 69% of caregivers did not share care responsibilities.
Caregivers who did not share caring responsibilities perceived better control or cure than did those who had someone to share their care work (t = -3.38, p = .001).
- Which one of these statements from the article would be considered a non-significant result?
Caregivers perceived more physical symptoms, believed that the time required to recover would be longer, and saw more consequences when they cared for an injured patient alone.
Both patients and the caregivers perceived an average of six to seven physical symptoms caused by the injury, but the mean subscale scores for causes among both patients and caregivers were low, indicating that both groups had weak perceptions about the reasons for injury (t = -2.15, p = .033).
Caregivers who did not share caring responsibilities perceived better control or cure than did those who had someone to share their care work (t = -3.38, p = .001).
Caregivers had positive perceptions on controlling or curing the injury when they cared for patients alone.
- Which one of these statements from the article would be considered clinically important?
Patients and caregivers held similar illness perceptions toward the injury in this study.
In this study, 70% of the patients were injured by vehicle accidents, while 30% were injured by falls.
It is essential that clinicians help those patients and caregivers to express and organize any discrepancies between their illness representations and the medical treatments the patients are given.
The average score for patients on the control/cure subscale was 3.71 (SD = 0.72).
- Which statements below, as reported by the author, would be considered a limitation of the study? (Select all that apply)
The study population included a convenience sample of patients and caregivers recruited from a teaching hospital in Taiwan.
Health care providers must recognize the importance of caregiver illness representations.
Future studies of caregivers should compare caregivers who receive supportive services to those who do not.
The cross-sectional nature of the present study precludes learning about changes over time for any of the target variables.
- Which of these statements would be considered a statement regarding generalization of these results?
The sample included patients with injury and their caregivers recruited from a teaching hospital in Taiwan and therefore decreases the ability to generalize to all patients with injury and their caregivers.
The results of this study can be generalized to caregivers of patients with severe brain injuries or stroke.
The Chinese Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised-Trauma (the Chinese IPQ-R-Trauma) has demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity in this and previous studies; as such, the results of this study can be generalized to all patients with injury and their caregivers.
The sample included patients with injury and their caregivers recruited from a teaching hospital in Taiwan and therefore the results of this study can be generalized without caution to all patients with injury and their caregivers from all teaching hospitals in Taiwan.
- Which of these statements from the article would be considered a recommendation for future studies? (Select all that apply)
There were no significant differences in the scores for seven of the eight subscales between the patients and caregivers.
Determining whether or not these findings are translatable to other cultures may require further investigation.
Injury severity might be a significant factor for illness representations, but further testing is required to make a clear determination in that regard.
These results may indicate that being admitted to an ICU typically means that the patient has a more serious injury, which may cause many problems for the caregiver.
