NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods

Walden University NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods-Step-By-Step Guide

This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.

How to Research and Prepare for NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods                           

Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.

After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.

How to Write the Introduction for NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods                         

The introduction for the Walden University NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.

How to Write the Body for NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods                         

After the introduction, move into the main part of the NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.

Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.

How to Write the Conclusion for NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods                         

After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.

How to Format the References List for NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods                           

The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.

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Sample Answer for NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods 

One of the major focuses of healthcare professionals over the years is population health which refers to the health outcomes distribution within a particular population, determinants of health that impact the distribution, and the interventions and policies that affect the determinants (Bor et al., 2017). Therefore, population health study is important since it ensures that there is better healthcare delivery and patient health. Among the strategies that can be applied in studying and critically analyzing a population, the health problem is the epidemiological approach which includes exploration of various aspects such as the role played by environment and culture in health issues and how personality impacts health outcomes. Therefore the purpose of this assignment is to define a health problem and research methods. As such, various aspects will be explored including, the problem and the environment selected, the problem in terms of person, place, time, and the magnitude of the problem.

The Problem Selected

One of the most chronic conditions is hypertension. High blood pressure exposes patients to other chronic conditions such as cardiovascular conditions. Indeed, due to the revised definition and threshold of hypertension in the last five years, the cases of cardiovascular conditions have been on the rise (Ferdinand et al., 2020). Using the 140/90 mmHg as the threshold in hypertension diagnostics criteria, various populations have been shown to experience different burdens as caused by hypertension. One group of people or population that has shown in the past and present to have worse outcomes are the African American population. From recent statistics, African Americans at 40.3 %  were noted to possess a greater burden of the disease as compared to other populations such as Hispanic, Asian or white (Ferdinand et al., 2020).

The Environment

Patients with hypertension usually need careful and consistent care management. Even though they can largely be managed as outpatients, they still need to follow various management strategies in their home environment. As earlier indicated, the selected population in terms of person are African-Americans living with hypertension. Even though the condition is chronic, most patients can live in their homes and attend clinics as directed by the care team (Forde et al., 2020). Hypertension, like many other chronic conditions, has various adverse impacts. In the USA in particular, hypertension is a major public health problem as it raises the risk for cardiovascular diseases affecting close to thirty percent of the USA adult population.

High blood pressure has a significant risk for deaths in the African American community due to cardiovascular complications. Indeed, the rates of death have been shown to be high among African Americans as compared to other races. Due to the recent developments in the field of hypertension management, the rates of mortality due to hypertension have been on the decline among Hispanic blacks and whites. However, such an impact has not been observed among African Americans as enhanced rates of mortality are being observed (Jurascheck et al., 2018). Hypertension also comes with various complications such as premature deaths and disabilities due to end-stage renal disease, stroke, and myocardial infarction. The higher prevalence of the condition among the African-American population and the enhanced negative impacts calls for the identification of modifiable risk factors amenable to behavioral solution among this population to help in mitigating the risk of developing the condition.

The Magnitude of Hypertension

Hypertension also remains at the top of the list of modifiable risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases. Even though the condition is most prevalent among African Americans, it also disproportionately impact African American men and women. From a recent study, it has been shown that the condition is more prevalent at 46.3% among African American women as compared to African American men at 45% (Spikes et al., 2019). The enhanced prevalence rates have been associated with various factors such as racism, medical racism, lifestyle risk factors such as little physical exercise, poor access to quality food, high fat diet, and high salt, resistant hypertension, and earlier hypertension.

The enhanced rates of hypertension among African Americans have also been connected to inactivity, obesity, low potassium intake, and high sodium intake. In addition to the fact that hypertension is more prevalent among African Americans, the condition is also observed at relatively earlier ages, presents with enhanced severity, and is usually connected to disproportionate organ damage levels in comparison to other groups.

Research Question

The adverse impacts of hypertension among populations, especially among the African American population, imply that more research should be done to formulate cost-effective and practical solutions to the problem or reduce its negative impacts. As such, to potentially reduce the impact of the condition through a study. The following research questions can be used.

1. What will be the effect of using physical exercise/activity among patients with hypertension on the condition and related quality of life metrics?
2. What is the impact of using a DASH intervention on the development of hypertension and progression of hypertension among African American population?

The Epidemiologic Study Design to Be Used

The choice of study design to be applied in epidemiology heavily hinges on various factors. Some of the factors include the hypotheses and research question, the available time and resources, ethics, the type of exposure of interest, and the type of outcome of interest. Therefore, the epidemiologic study design chosen for this potential study is a cross-sectional study. Such a study design is known to be good for the generation of hypotheses, and depending on the question, the strategy is relatively inexpensive, quick, and easy (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2021). In addition, by using the method, a researcher can examine multiple outcomes or exposures and estimate the prevalence of exposures and diseases.

Assessment Strategies

The use of cross-sectional study design to help answer the research questions requires that two groups of participants are used; the control group and the intervention group. From the research questions, two interventions are suggested; they entail using the Dash diet and implementing a physical activity strategy. So the selection of the two groups will be made through randomization to take care of possible biases that can occur due to sampling (Nieswiadomy & Bailey, 2018). Therefore, randomization will be key in addressing various limitations or problems connected to sampling. The process of randomization can be difficult if a researcher does not understand the statistical aspects of randomization. Therefore, even though it can be convenient to use in such a study, it may be necessary to consult a professional statistician who can help in the whole process.

A Summary of Data Collection Activities

Data collection is an integral part of a research process as it gives an investigator to obtain the necessary data that can be used in answering the research questions upon an appropriate analysis. During data collection, various activities or strategies can be used to accomplish the targeted end. One of the activities that can be used to obtain the raw data is a survey; surveys can either be conducted online or done using hardcopy means. As such, the targeted survey will be used to determine whether the targeted participants have ever been diagnosed with hypertension. However, it is important for the researcher to be careful with data obtained from the survey as some people can lie, leading to biased data and information (Boswell & Cannon, 2018). In making such data more valid, the researcher can back it up with the data obtained from a patient’s electronic health record. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, conducting online surveys can be the best route to follow so as to obey the health directive efforts on various issues such as social distancing.

Surveys enable the researcher to apply a wide range of questions designed to get the most responses from the respondents. Another data collection strategy that can be applied is the use of electronic health records containing patient data. Electronic health records are a reliable data source as they contain every aspect of a patient’s treatment and hospitalization data (Boswell & Cannon, 2018). Therefore, the data obtained from these records can be key in determining how effective the proposed intervention has been in preventing the development of hypertension among high-risk patients and how the lifestyle modification strategies have impacted the progression of the condition among patients with hypertension.

Conclusion

In conclusion, population health is a major focus of the healthcare sector, and therefore, the healthcare experts employ various strategies to identify various health problems that can negatively impact population health and implement research methods to come up with a remedy. One of such conditions that have been a problem to the public is hypertension. Therefore, this paper has explored hypertension among African Americans. The condition is more prevalent among African Americans due to various health disparities. The condition also has various adverse impacts on people, implying that there is a need to come up with better strategies for managing the condition.

References

Bor, J., Cohen, G. H., & Galea, S. (2017). Population health in an era of rising income inequality: USA, 1980–2015. The Lancet, 389(10077), 1475-1490. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30571-8.

Boswell, C., & Cannon, S. (2018). Introduction to nursing research. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Ferdinand, D. P., Nedunchezhian, S., & Ferdinand, K. C. (2020). Hypertension in African Americans: advances in community outreach and public health approaches. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 63(1), 40-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2019.12.005.

Forde, A. T., Sims, M., Muntner, P., Lewis, T., Onwuka, A., Moore, K., & Diez Roux, A. V. (2020). Discrimination and hypertension risk among African Americans in the Jackson heart study. Hypertension, 76(3), 715-723.https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.14492

Juraschek, S. P., White, K., Tang, O., Yeh, H. C., Cooper, L. A., & Miller III, E. R. (2018). Effects of a Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet intervention on serum uric acid in African Americans with hypertension. Arthritis care & research, 70(10), 1509-1516. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.23515.

LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2021). Nursing Research E-Book: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-Based Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Nieswiadomy, R. M., & Bailey, C. (2018). Foundations of nursing research.

Spikes, T., Higgins, M., Quyyumi, A., Reilly, C., Pemu, P., & Dunbar, S. (2019). The relationship among health beliefs, depressive symptoms, medication adherence, and social support in African Americans with hypertension. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 34(1), 44-51. Doi: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000519.

Sample Answer 2 for NURS 8310 Week 6 Assignment 2: Defining the Problem and Research Methods 

Evidence-based nursing practice is universally acceptable in clinical settings following its associated numerous advantages. For instance, this practice is recognized for enhancing safety and quality patient care as well as facilitation of healthcare decision-making. However, evidence-based practice as the name sounds is founded on scientific research which is a stepwise process that commences with the identification of a distinct healthcare problem, formulation of relevant research hypothesis, selection of appropriate research design, collection of data, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of the findings. Subsequently, the significance of the findings and the nursing implications are stated. This assignment extensively explores two aspects of the aforementioned process namely definition of the problem and research methods.

The Problem

Thomas et al. (2020) in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health define health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This state of well-being is influenced by several determinants including behavioral, genetic, environmental, physical, economic, and psychosocial determinants. This paper however limits itself to the environmental and psychosocial factors. Thomas et al. (2020) further outline a spectrum of psychosocial factors including anxiety, insecurity, psychological distress, chronic stress, isolation, coping, perceptions, low self-esteem, self-efficacy, loss of sense of control, anger, high physical/psychological demand, religion, culture, and marital status. These factors are a collection of general factors at the human societal level associated with social structure and social processes as well as individual degree meanings and processes that influence mental state.

Surprisingly, the majority of the psychosocial factors eventually lead to stress. Chronic stress persistently activates the sympathetic system. The elevated catecholamines predispose to devastating health conditions including cardiovascular disease, asthma, renal disease, cancer, metabolic disorders, maladaptive behaviors, depression, anxiety disorders, and aggressive behaviors. Similarly, psychosocial factors that cause stress vary significantly with the environment (Albus et al., 2019).

The environment with which an individual interacts on a day-to-day basis influences his health. The environment varies considerably and includes school, work, or even at home among other places. For this assignment, the workplace will be the selected environment of choice. The workplace which is the medical unit contains diverse factors that negatively impact the health of the healthcare professionals. For instance, healthcare professionals are exposed daily to menacing health conditions such as COVID-19 as they strive to assist and offer care to the affected. It is not uncommon in this era to lack the necessary protective equipment while attending to their clients. Similarly, the healthcare environment predisposes the healthcare personnel to stress especially in the event of losing their clients to diseases. Finally, poor working conditions, high physical demand, low social demand, and plenty of occupational hazards present a constantly stressful environment to the healthcare staff which is a risk factor for numerous health problems.

This paper focuses on hypertension as the health problem of concern associated with a stressful work environment. Hypertension refers to elevated blood pressure correlating to a systolic blood pressure of equal to or greater than 130 mmHg and or diastolic blood pressure of equal to or more than 80 mmHg (Iqbal & Jamal, 2021). Hypertension has been widely studied and its innumerable complications including stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and renal disease have been well elaborated. The etiology of this condition is mostly idiopathic (essential hypertension) while secondary hypertension with identifiable etiology only equals less than 10% of total hypertension (Iqbal & Jamal, 2021). The risk factors for hypertension, on the other hand, are well known and include modifiable factors such as for overweight/obesity, smoking, alcohol use, psychological stress, physical inactivity, uncontrolled diabetes, and a diet rich in sodium and diminished potassium. Meanwhile, non-modifiable risk factors for hypertension include positive family history, race and ethnicity, and advanced age (Iqbal & Jamal, 2021). The prevalence of hypertension globally is expected to rise making hypertension a global health concern. According to Iqbal and Jamal (2021), the prevalence of hypertension globally is estimated at 26%. In the United States, one-third to one-half of adults have hypertension with the prevalence increasing with age. For instance, 65-75% of adults develop hypertension by 65 to 75 years of age (Iqbal & Jamal, 2021). Additionally, men are affected more than females before the age of 65 although the prevalence in females increases after menopause. Globally, this condition is linked to 7.6 million deaths annually (Iqbal & Jamal, 2021). Nevertheless, this paper focuses on hypertension among healthcare workers in a medical unit keeping in mind the stressful healthcare environment. Given the diverse nature of the healthcare staff, only workers aged between 20 and 50 years old will be involved in the study. The study will take place over a period of 6 months and it will aim at determining the association between psychological stress in the healthcare facility and hypertension.

Subsequently, the research question in PICOT format will be; among healthcare workers of the medical unit aged 20 to 50 years, does psychological stress in the healthcare facility contribute towards the development of hypertension over 6 months? From the above, the population encompasses the health workers of the medical unit aged 20 years to 50 years. The treatment group will be those with psychological stress and shall be compared against those without. The period will be 6 months and the outcome will be hypertension.

Research Methods

The above research targets to identify the association between psychological stress in the healthcare setup and the subsequent development of hypertension among healthcare workers. To address this, a quantitative study approach will be used specifically prospective cohort study design. Prospective cohort seems to be the most appropriate as the exposure will be determined at baseline, both groups will be comparable and without the outcome of interest at the beginning of the study. For comparability, both groups will be selected from the medical unit and will be aged 20 to 50 years. Similarly, both cohorts will be evaluated for other risk factors associated with hypertension such as obesity, smoking, alcohol use, physical inactivity, diet, and uncontrolled diabetes, and positive family history to ensure that the outcome of interest can be attributed significantly to psychologic stress. Finally, baseline demographic variables will also be comparable. The only difference between the two groups at baseline will be with respect to psychological stress which is the exposure. Crosswell and Lockwood (2020) highlight the importance of comparability between the cohorts for the establishment of a significant association between exposure and the disease. The diagnostic and eligibility criteria for hypertension will be systolic pressure of 130 mmHg or more and or a diastolic pressure of 80 mmHg or more. The blood pressure measurements will also be taken on similar dates, on both arms, and when the participants are relaxed.

To determine exposure, a perceived stress scale shall be developed in form of a questionnaire which shall be filled by all the eligible participants. A threshold score for stress set and those above the score will form the interventional group and those below the score will be the controls. The study will aim at achieving a similar number of participants in both control and interventional groups. The perceived stress scale shall specifically be designed to incorporate psychosocial factors associated with stress in the healthcare setup. This individualized construction of stress scale according to the associated environment is recommended by Crosswell and Lockwood (2020) for the effective establishment of the relationship between stress and disease development.

The data will be collected using a digital sphygmomanometer. The blood pressure will be taken after every 2 months for 6 months. The measurements shall be taken on the same day and both arms when the participants are relaxed in the morning and the evening. To maximize the accuracy of the data collected, the participants will be evaluated periodically for the development of other risk factors for hypertension. Those who develop other risk factors shall be discontinued from the study.

Conclusion

Scientific research is the foundation for evidence-based nursing practice. A well-defined research problem, as well as a magnificently designed research methodology, are imperative for splendid research. Psychosocial factors and environmental factors influence the health status of an individual. Finally, hypertension is a global health concern whose prevalence can be reduced by lifestyle modifications.

References

Albus, C., Waller, C., Fritzsche, K., Gunold, H., Haass, M., Hamann, B., Kindermann, I., Köllner, V., Leithäuser, B., Marx, N., Meesmann, M., Michal, M., Ronel, J., Scherer, M., Schrader, V., Schwaab, B., Weber, C. S., & Herrmann-Lingen, C. (2019). Significance of psychosocial factors in cardiology: update 2018: Position paper of the German Cardiac Society: Position paper of the German Cardiac Society. Clinical Research in Cardiology: Official Journal of the German Cardiac Society, 108(11), 1175–1196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-019-01488-w

Crosswell, A. D., & Lockwood, K. G. (2020). Best practices for stress measurement: How to measure psychological stress in health research. Health Psychology Open, 7(2), 2055102920933072. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055102920933072

Iqbal, A. M., & Jamal, S. F. (2021). Essential Hypertension. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539859/

Thomas, K., Nilsson, E., Festin, K., Henriksson, P., Lowén, M., Löf, M., & Kristenson, M. (2020). Associations of psychosocial factors with multiple health behaviors: A population-based study of middle-aged men and women. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4), 1239.