NUR-550 Translational Research Graphic Organizer Nursing Practice Problem:

 
The selected nursing issue for the evidence-based practice (EBP) project is medication errors in nursing that happen due to staffing shortage. Medication errors are a significant problem in healthcare sector, especially at this time when there is nursing shortage and high nurse turnovers. With reduced number of nurses working in the healthcare sector, the susceptibility of patients to medication errors increases, particularly adverse drug events that can lead to death and prolonged stays in hospitals (Buerhaus et al., 2017). The project will focus on the effectiveness of implementation of health information technology compared to the conventional ways of medication management to mitigate medication errors in critically ill patients. The selection of critically ill patients as the population of interest emanates from their increased vulnerability to injuries that need high-risk medication and more use of intravenous infusions which raises the possibility of medication errors. Health information technology can play an essential role in enhancing efficiency of nurses to offer required care and reduce medication errors.

Comparing research designs is essential to enhancing better understanding of the application and nature. Through effective understanding, nurses can apply evidence-based research into clinical practice to address issues and offer improve patient care. As such, the translational research graphic organizer compares one translational study to quantitative study, and one translational study to qualitative study.

Comparison 1: Translational Research vs. Qualitative Research

Criteria	Peer-Reviewed Translational Article and Permalink/Working Link:
Härkänen, M., Vehviläinen-Julkunen, K., Murrells, T., Rafferty, A. M., & Franklin, B. D. (2019). Medication administration errors and mortality: incidents reported in England and Wales between 2007 ? 2016. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 15(7), 858-863.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2018.11.010

Translational Research Type: T2

 

Peer-Reviewed Traditional Article and Permalink/Working Link:
Barakat, S. & Franklin, B. D. (2020). An Evaluation of the Impact of Barcode Patient and Medication Scanning on Nursing Workflow at a UK Teaching Hospital. Pharmacy (Basel), 8(3):148.  doi: 10.3390/pharmacy8030148

Traditional Qualitative Research Type: Observational Research

Observations (Similarities/Differences)
Methodology	The researchers reported cases between 2007 and 2016 from the National Reporting and Learning System for England and Wales. The article also analyzes the deaths reported and categorizes drugs based on various parameters that include, year, age, location, and category of error using incidents’ initial classification.	The study was a comparative research with direct observation approach used in the two settings within acute surgical wards in UK hospital.	In both studies, the researchers use hypotheses to understand the phenomena under study. In both studies, the researchers actively participate in the research process.
However, researchers can manipulate the outcomes and research design in qualitative study but cannot in translational research.

Goals	The study’s goals include analysis of medication administration errors reported in acute care that led to death, know the involved drugs, and offer a description of administration error features like location type of error and patient age.	The authors assert that little is known about the use of barcode medication administration. Therefore, the researchers sought to evaluate the effects of barcode patient and medication scanning on nursing flow at a teaching hospital in the UK.	In both studies, the researchers’ focus is to improve practice interventions on the issue of medication administration errors.
Conversely, the translational research’s main focus is to enhance practice and not produce new knowledge. In this case, the translational research article seeks to improve reporting and knowledge about the effects of medication errors. However, the qualitative research seeks new knowledge about the use barcode scanning.

Data Collection	The authors collected data from incident reporting in acute care setting. The data came from the National Reporting and Learning System of England and Wales.	The researchers collected data on drug rounds through observation on different parameters that include duration, timelines of medication administration, identity of patients, verification of medications and the overall workflow patterns in the two facilities.	Both collect data from different sources. However, qualitative study uses primary data collected through observation while the translational study uses secondary data from the reporting mechanism used in England and Wales.
 

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