Chapter 01: The Role of Research in Nursing
Test Bank

MULTIPLE CHOICE

	1.	Before nursing research could be undertaken in a serious manner, one vital step needed to be taken. Research became possible when:
a.	research chairs were endowed.	
b.	universities offered baccalaureate nursing programs.	
c.	a baccalaureate degree became the entry to practice.	
d.	the Canadian Nurses Association developed a research mandate.	

ANS:	B

	Feedback	
A	This did not occur until the number of nurses with PhD degrees increased.	
B	This provided an introduction to research within the BScN programs and led to further nursing education at the MSN and PhD levels.	
C	This did not occur until the twenty-first century.	
D	This did not officially occur until the end of the twentieth century.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Application	REF:	Pages 12–13

	2.	How is nursing research significant to the profession of nursing?
a.	Responsibility is more specifically defined.	
b.	Liability within the practice of nursing is decreased.	
c.	A specialized body of knowledge is generated for use in the delivery of health care.	
d.	The scope of nursing practice is expanded into areas formerly reserved for other disciplines.	

ANS:	C

	Feedback	
A	Research aids in documenting accountability of nurses, but professional guidelines regarding responsibility already exist.	
B	Liability is a legal concept. Research does not promote liability.	
C	Theory-based nursing research provides a foundation for evidence- informed nursing care.	
D	Nursing research expands the discipline of nursing as it pertains to nursing practice.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Comprehension	REF:	Page 5

	3.	Why are nursing practice–oriented scientific investigations valuable?
a.	They validate the effectiveness of particular nursing interventions.	
b.	They encourage consumers to question the quality of health care.	
c.	They limit the theory base for clinical decision making.	
d.	They mandate health care reform.	

ANS:	A

	Feedback	
A	Practice-focused research supports the effectiveness of nursing interventions and reinforces quality of nursing care.	
B	On the contrary, they help reassure consumers about the quality of health care.	
C	They support the development of the theory base for clinical decision making.	
D	They reinforce the effectiveness of current nursing practice.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Comprehension	REF:	Page 6

	4.	When a change in nursing practice results in decreased cost of care, what additional factor must be considered before general implementation of this change?
a.	Ensuring compliance of the change by nurses with diverse educational backgrounds	
b.	Maintaining or improving the quality of care resulting from the change in practice	
c.	Encouraging patients to be active partners in their health care decisions	
d.	Disseminating the change beyond the discipline of nursing	

ANS:	B

	Feedback	
A	Not all nurses are responsible for supervising compliance with new measures.	
B	Nurses are accountable to maintain quality patient care despite cost-cutting measures.	
C	Nurses should encourage patient participation in care despite cost-cutting measures.	
D	Nurses are not responsible for reforming other disciplines.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Analysis	REF:	Page 8

	5.	Why do nurses who do not conduct research need to understand the nursing research process?
a.	To identify potential subjects for clinical research studies	
b.	To assist in collecting accurate data for clinical research studies	
c.	To teach patients and families about the usefulness of participation in research	
d.	To be able to evaluate nursing research reports for relevance to their own clinical practice	

ANS:	D

	Feedback	
A	Nurses who do not conduct research would not influence subject identification.	
B	Nurses who do not conduct research would not influence data collection.	
C	Nurses who do not conduct research would not influence subject recruitment.	
D	Nurses should be able to understand the research process by reading research reports and determining if they should modify their practice based on research evidence.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Comprehension	REF:	Page 6

	6.	How are nursing theory and nursing research related?
a.	Nursing theory and nursing research are independent of each other and have no direct relationship.	
b.	Without nursing theory, research conducted by nurses would not have an impact on nursing practice.	
c.	Nursing research drives the direction and specific content of nursing theory.	
d.	Both advance the knowledge base of nursing.	

ANS:	D

	Feedback	
A	Theory and research are related to each other.	
B	Research studies may be conducted without a clear theoretical framework and still influence practice.	
C	Quantitative nursing research tests nursing theory but does not influence content.	
D	Theory and nursing research both influence how nursing practice is conducted.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Comprehension	REF:	Page 8

	7.	Which action demonstrates the role of an intelligent consumer of nursing research?
a.	Designing a research study	
b.	Analyzing data to determine outcomes	
c.	Evaluating the credibility of the research findings	
d.	Implementing an intervention found to be effective in a clinical study	

ANS:	C

	Feedback	
A	A consumer applies research to practice. Consumers are not responsible for designing a study.	
B	A consumer does not conduct data analysis of a study. The study’s primary investigator analyzes data.	
C	A consumer of nursing research needs to understand the research process to determine the merit and relevance of evidence for research studies.	
D	A consumer can apply research findings to practice but does not have to implement research protocols.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Evaluation	REF:	Page 8

	8.	In designating research functions to nursing staff, which of the following functions would you designate to a staff registered nurse?
a.	Protecting human subjects by promoting the ethical principles of research	
b.	Providing expert consultation about the way in which clinical services are delivered	
c.	Developing methods to monitor the quality of nursing practice in the clinical setting	
d.	Providing leadership by assisting others in applying scientific knowledge in nursing practice	

ANS:	A

	Feedback	
A	All nurses are responsible for protecting human subjects in research.	
B	BScN -level nurses are at the bedside implementing protocols. Expert consultation is reserved for MSN- or PhD-level nurses.	
C	Developing methods is reserved for nurses with advanced education.	
D	Providing leadership is reserved for nurses with advanced education	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Comprehension	REF:	Page 11

	9.	Which of the following statements regarding the role of the nurse in research is true?
a.	Nurses must be prepared at the baccalaureate level or higher to have any role in nursing research.	
b.	Master’s-prepared nurses (those with MSN, MN, or MS degrees) are primarily responsible for using the findings of nursing research in clinical practice.	
c.	One role of the registered nurse is to identify issues in clinical practice that are suitable for research.	
d.	Regardless of nursing education, the only nurse who should interpret research findings is the one who has the most comprehensive understanding of statistical analysis methods.	

ANS:	C

	Feedback	
A	Having a role in nursing research or implementing findings is not limited to BScN and MSN nurses only.	
B	Master’s-prepared nurses can provide leadership to supervise how research findings are applied in the clinical area. All levels of nurses can apply research findings to practice.	
C	RN-level nurses should have an awareness of the relevance of nursing research.	
D	Data analysis is usually conducted by an MSN- or PhD-level nurse.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Comprehension	REF:	Page 9

	10.	Which of Florence Nightingale’s actions formed the foundation for modern-day nursing research methods?
a.	Establishing the St. Thomas Hospital School of Nursing in England	
b.	Writing the curricula for the nineteenth century nurse training programs	
c.	Lobbying the British parliament to enact changes in law for better health care	
d.	Collecting data systematically on the health status of British soldiers during the Crimean War	

ANS:	D

	Feedback	
A	Establishing a school of nursing is not a form of scientific investigation.	
B	Developing curricula is not a form of scientific investigation.	
C	Lobbying a parliament is more about advocacy and health care reform.	
D	Systematic, objective data collection during the Crimean War formed the basis for modern-day nursing research methods.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Knowledge	REF:	Page 11

	11.	What was the focus of most nursing research studies conducted during the first half of the twentieth century?
a.	Nursing education methods and outcomes	
b.	Effects of sanitation on health promotion and disease prevention	
c.	Use of epidemiology as a method of identifying risk for specific illnesses	
d.	Identification of the most effective means to disseminate positive findings from nursing research	

ANS:	A

	Feedback	
A	Nursing education has been documented to have been the focus of nursing research in the early twentieth century.	
B	Disease prevention was a focus in the 1960s.	
C	Florence Nightingale used epidemiology in her early research.	
D	Dissemination of nursing research findings grew in the 1980s.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Knowledge	REF:	Page 11

	12.	What was the outcome of the 1932 Weir report?
a.	Publication of the Canadian Journal of Nursing	
b.	Recognition of research as part of the roles and responsibilities of the registered nurse	
c.	Recommendation of changes to improve standards of education and practice	
d.	Establishment of multiple entry levels to the nursing profession	

ANS:	C

	Feedback	
A	No publication called the Canadian Journal of Nursing exists.	
B	The focus was on advancing the delivery of nursing education to improve practice.	
C	The Weir report identified serious problems in nursing education that affected nursing practice.	
D	The standardization of BScN, MSN, and PhD programs was suggested, but it took 50 years for its full adoption.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Knowledge	REF:	Page 13

	13.	What action or strategy limits the depth of nursing research?
a.	Addressing physiological and psychological responses to actual or potential health problems	
b.	Employing both qualitative methods and quantitative methods in the same study	
c.	Developing programs of research that build on prior investigations	
d.	Using singular measures to assess phenomena	

ANS:	D

	Feedback	
A	Addressing the physical and psychological aspects of a phenomenon provides depth to research outcomes.	
B	Multiple-method studies can provide greater depth of understanding of a phenomenon.	
C	Building on prior research allows for deeper exploration of human phenomena.	
D	Using a single measure will not allow a researcher to examine the complexity of human phenomena.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Analysis	REF:	Page 16

	14.	Which of the following is the overall value of developing evidence- informed nursing practice?
a.	Implementation of the most cost-effective nursing practice patterns	
b.	Demonstration of how nursing makes a difference in patient outcomes	
c.	Separation of nursing research from the research of other disciplines	
d.	Development of new nursing theories	

ANS:	B

	Feedback	
A	Implementation of more cost-effective nursing interventions may occur based on evidence, but it is not the overall value of developing evidence- informed nursing practice.	
B	Evidence- informed practice provides a research foundation for nursing interventions.	
C	Developing a unique body of nursing knowledge is important but is not the overall value of developing evidence- informed nursing practice.	
D	Developing nursing theory is important, but evidence- informed nursing practice is focused on the more concrete aspects of clinical practice.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Comprehension	REF:	Pages 6–7

	15.	How does an international research perspective contribute to the discipline and science of nursing?
a.	By unifying the definition of the term health	
b.	By increasing the dissemination potential of research findings	
c.	By emphasizing the cultural aspects of nursing care	
d.	By testing innovative and cost-effective patient care delivery models	

ANS:	D

	Feedback	
A	Nursing models can be tested in a variety of settings, which strengthens the credibility of the evidence. Health is a subjective term.	
B	Dissemination of findings is one of the benefits of an international perspective, but the primary focus is testing of models.	
C	Emphasis on cultural considerations is one of the benefits of an international perspective, but the primary focus is testing of models.	
D	An international research perspective can lead to the formation of a global research community.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Comprehension	REF:	Page 17

	16.	Which of the following is the identified priority for future nursing research efforts?
a.	Improvement in patient quality of life	
b.	Cost containment of health care delivery	
c.	Promotion of excellence in nursing science	
d.	Promotion of advanced education in nursing	

ANS:	C

	Feedback	
A	Patient quality of life is a desired outcome but not the identified priority for future nursing research.	
B	Cost containment is not the identified priority for future nursing research.	
C	Nursing is rising to the challenge of developing the science to improve health care. Advancing nursing science is therefore a priority.	
D	Promotion of advanced education in nursing is not the identified priority for future nursing research.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Knowledge	REF:	Pages 15–16

	17.	Review the information from four abstracts below and identify which study is an example of outcome-based research.
a.	This study used a school-based community sample (N = 920) to examine trajectories of depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and expressed anger in the critical years of emerging adulthood (ages 18–25).	
b.	To identify reasons for lower organ donation rates by Blacks, knowledge and attitudes about brain death, donation, and transplantation and trust in the health care system were examined.	
c.	An exploratory study was undertaken with a racially diverse group of custodial grandfathers to fill a gap in the literature about the vulnerability for elder abuse, exploitation, and neglect as expressed by older Black, Latino, and White custodial grandfathers.	
d.	A multicentre, international clinical trial was conducted in 3,500 patients with documented coronary heart disease to determine whether a brief education and counseling intervention delivered by a nurse can reduce prehospital delay in the face of symptoms of ACS.	

ANS:	D

	Feedback	
A	Exploration of anger in adulthood is not an outcomes research study.	
B	Surveying families about consent for organ donation is not an outcomes research study.	
C	Exploration of elder abuse is not an outcomes research study.	
D	Outcomes research examines how nursing interventions affect patient outcomes. This study examines the effectiveness of nursing interventions.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Evaluation	REF:	Pages 15–16

	18.	Why should a nursing research study that demonstrates a positive outcome for a specific intervention be replicated before the intervention can be accepted for implementation?
a.	Findings that are reproducible in a series of replicated studies increase the generalizability of the results.	
b.	Being able to replicate existing studies increases the opportunity for nurses to be involved in nursing research.	
c.	Replicated studies provide more data for statistical analysis and measurement of reliability.	
d.	If a high level of significance is associated with the study results, replication is unnecessary.	

ANS:	A

	Feedback	
A	Studies that can be replicated in and generalized to many settings demonstrate the reliability of the study results.	
B	Replication is not an excuse for involving nurses in research.	
C	Multiple replications of a study will neither generate new data nor ensure reliability.	
D	Even studies that have a high level of significance should be replicated.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Comprehension	REF:	Page 16

	19.	How is using multiple measures to assess a clinical phenomenon useful to nursing research or practice?
a.	When multiple measures are used, qualitative data and quantitative data are always obtained.	
b.	Using multiple measures reduces the number of subjects needed in a sample size to reach statistical significance.	
c.	Comparison of various methods of measurement may reduce the need to use invasive methods in measuring physical parameters in future studies.	
d.	The results of studies using multiple measures to assess a clinical phenomenon are more likely to be published in journals other than nursing journals as well.	

ANS:	C

	Feedback	
A	Not all studies that have multiple measures use both quantitative and qualitative approaches.	
B	Using multiple measures does not reduce the number of subjects in a study.	
C	Qualitative data help provide essential descriptive data on how patients experience a particular phenomenon.	
D	Multiple-method studies should be conducted with the intent of disseminating the results through professional nursing journals.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Comprehension	REF:	Page 16

	20.	Taking into account the future priorities of nursing research, which of the following studies would most likely be funded by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF)?
a.	This study used a school-based community sample (N = 920) to examine trajectories of depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and expressed anger in the critical years of emerging adulthood (ages 18–25).	
b.	To identify reasons for lower organ donation rates by Blacks, knowledge and attitudes about brain death, donation, and transplantation and trust in the health care system were examined.	
c.	An exploratory study was undertaken with a racially diverse group of custodial grandfathers to fill a gap in the literature about the vulnerability for elder abuse, exploitation, and neglect as expressed by older Black, Latino, and White custodial grandfathers.	
d.	A multicentre, international clinical trial was conducted in 3,500 patients with documented coronary heart disease to determine whether a brief education and counseling intervention delivered by a nurse can reduce pre-hospital delay in the face of symptoms of ACS.	

ANS:	D

	Feedback	
A	While mental health is a priority of CHSRF, this study is not the most likely to be funded.	
B	Organ donation is not a priority for CHSRF at this time.	
C	Older adults are considered a vulnerable population and studies relevant to this population are a priority of CHSRF; however, interventions studies are granted higher priority.	
D	Intervention studies that examine ways to improve service and health among those suffering with chronic illness are of the highest priority to CHSRF.	

DIF:	Cognitive Level: Application	REF:	Page 18