| aidemia--modules-essaywrite_request | Write an essay |
| What topic | TASK 1: Investigating a Research Topic Mapped to Assessment Criteria: 1.1 Select a topic relevant to your Access to HE Diploma in Nursing. Examples might include patient safety, the impact of nurse staffing levels, or approaches to patient-centred care. Identify and justify the primary research method(s) you will use for your investigation. For example, surveys, interviews, or observational studies. Estimated Word Count: 450 words |
| Which subject | Science |
| What age group | Doesn't matter |
| How many pages | 3 |
| Add references | |
| Any other preferences |
Nurse staffing levels within healthcare facilities are crucial to ensuring patient safety and quality of care. This investigation will explore the correlation between nurse staffing levels and patient safety metrics, such as the rate of hospital-acquired infections, patient falls, and overall patient satisfaction. The rationale behind this research topic lies in the growing body of evidence that suggests inadequate nurse staffing directly affects the quality of care provided in acute healthcare settings.
For this investigation, the primary research methods to be employed will be surveys and interviews. A combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches will provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of nursing staffing levels on patient safety.
Surveys will be distributed to nurses across various healthcare settings within the UK. These surveys aim to gather quantitative data regarding existing nurse-to-patient ratios, perceived adequacy of staffing levels, and their observations related to patient safety incidents. Surveys are an excellent choice for this research as they allow for the collection of data from a large sample size efficiently. This method also lends itself to statistical analysis, quantifying the relationship between staffing levels and patient safety outcomes.
Moreover, the surveys will include Likert-scale questions, which facilitate the measurement of attitudes and perceptions. This approach is beneficial in understanding the subjective experiences of nurses, which may correlate with objective patient safety outcomes.
Follow-up interviews will be conducted with a select group of nursing staff members who indicate significant concerns related to staffing levels in the survey. These semi-structured interviews will allow for deeper, qualitative insights into the challenges nurses face due to inadequate staffing. This method provides an opportunity to explore themes such as stress, burnout, and the ethical implications of staffing shortages.
The flexibility of interviews encourages the exploration of unexpected insights and nuances that cannot be captured through surveys alone. By utilising a semi-structured format, participants can share personal experiences and suggestions for improvement, enhancing the quality of data collected.
In conducting this research, ethical considerations, such as informed consent and confidentiality, will be paramount. Participants' anonymity will be safeguarded, and they will be informed of their right to withdraw from the study at any time. Ethical approval will be sought from an appropriate institutional review board before commencing data collection.
The investigation into the impact of nurse staffing levels on patient safety is pertinent in the context of ongoing discussions about healthcare resource allocation. By employing a mixed-methods approach of surveys and interviews, this research aims to provide valuable insights that can potentially lead to better staffing policies and improved patient outcomes. The results will contribute to the body of knowledge surrounding nursing practice and advocate for changes that prioritise patient safety in healthcare settings.