NSG 502 Research – Week 9 Reply

Instructions

This is the post for week 9’s reply.

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Module IX Discussion Post

In this week’s module content, we take a look at our hypothetical research study and determine what data collection tools we would use to carry out our work. For reference, my PICOT question is as follows: will adult (age 18+) patients who experience their first onset of psychosis (or first psychotic break) experience greater improvement in the symptoms and effects of psychosis when participating in comprehensive first-episode psychosis programs over the next one-year period than those who receive a more traditional treatment regimen of medication and/or therapy alone?

As my hypothetical study is qualitative in nature, I would use an individual (vs. group or focus group) interview style to collect my research data. As I began to research interviewing techniques for formal data collection, I learned that a semi-structured approach is ideal because it fosters a reciprocal relationship and rapport between the interviewer and his or her study subjects (Kallio et al., 2016). Although the semi-structured approach includes a number of questions that are planned, it accounts for improvised follow-ups from the interviewer to delve more deeply into the subject matter depending on the responses of individuals. In my study, this approach will allow me to clarify my understanding of my subject’s unique life experiences as they relate to their treatments and symptoms of psychosis.

Although interviewing subjects in person, and face-to-face is the gold standard for qualitative research studies, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a number of implications that can pose challenges to that (SaarijÃrvi & Bratt, 2021). Video platforms have proven to be a viable alternative for interviewing subjects, with research indicating that they are just marginally less optimal than face-to-face encounters. It is important to maintain ethical standards when utilizing technology to perform interviews, researchers recommend sending out informed consent and study information well in advance and choosing a video platform that is encrypted for maximal privacy.

Solution

Response

Hi,

This was a great discussion post and I appreciate the information. You did well looking at some of the data collection tools you would use for your hypothetical research study. The PICOT question you designed is as follows: will adult (age 18+) patients who experience their first onset of psychosis (or first “psychotic break”) experience greater improvement of the symptoms and effects of psychosis when participating in comprehensive first-episode psychosis programs over the next one-year period than those who receive a more traditional treatment regimen of medication and/or therapy alone?

Well, I am happy you mentioned that you would use some interviewing techniques: semi-structured interviews to be specific. I would like to mention that a semi-structured interview is a data collection method based on asking participants questions about a pre-determined topic. According to Evans & Lewis (2018), qualitative semi-structured interviews are the most common and widely used method of data collection in social sciences. Interview schedules are often used to allow the researcher to address a specific topic (Evans & Lewis, 2018).

Semi-structured interviews involve thematic analysis, whereby the researcher identifies patterns and themes within the data, Since you will be conducting semi-structured interviews, an appropriate tool would be questionnaires because it involves asking specific questions. According to Adeoye‐Olatunde & Olenik (2021), semi-structured interviews, as opposed to unstructured interviews, often have an interview guide with questions aiming to address the research objective.

The guide includes main open-ended questions with follow-up probe questions for the interviewer to refer to throughout the interview (Adeoye‐Olatunde & Olenik, 2021). The guide is just a questionnaire the interviewer uses throughout the process. The interview can be conducted online or face-to-face.

A video platform is needed if the interviews cannot happen face-to-face. Tools that can be used include a phone or a computer, and an online video platform such as Zoom or Google Meet among others (Adeoye‐Olatunde & Olenik, 2021). I am glad you acknowledged the need to maintain ethical standards during the interview. This was indeed an interesting way of thinking regarding how you intend to collect your data

References

Adeoye‐Olatunde, O. A., & Olenik, N. L. (2021). Research and scholarly methods: Semi‐structured interviews. Journal of the american college of clinical pharmacy, 4(10), 1358-1367. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1441
Evans, C., & Lewis, J. (2018). Analysing semi-structured interviews using thematic analysis: Exploring voluntary civic participation among adults. SAGE Research Methods Datasets. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781526439284

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