Nursing Research Questions

Nursing research is important in developing healthcare practices and creating positive change in patient results. So, in the background of any successful study, there is the absolute importance of the formation of effective research questions. Not only can such questions guide the process of investigation, but they will also help shape methodology and support the significance of the findings. Well-formulated questions can bring pertinent ideas to evidence-based practices in order to ensure better care for patients.

This article brings out a method of developing impactful nursing research questions. It provides actual information and approaches to help in the identification of major problems and finding that one’s questions are clear, focused, and researchable. The basis of this ability is in the nurses’ and researchers’ ability to contribute value to the general healthcare setting by using breakthroughs and improvements for the good of patients and their communities. Be it a new researcher or one who just wants to improve their approach, this guide is giving useful directions that are going to lead to success in any nursing research.

What Are Nursing Research Questions?

Nursing research questions are specific questions that direct the focus of study in nursing. These questions identify which problem or issue is being investigated and define the boundaries for research. They help researchers stay focused and ensure that study remains focused on a particular area of interest or concern in nursing.

Importance of Nursing Research Questions

Nursing research questions are important because they act as guides to the carrying out of research processes that defines what is to be studied and how.

1. Direct the Research: They provide guidance for the research process, identifying what will be studied and how it will be studied.
2. Influence the Methodology: that will be used, the design of the study, data collection, and data analysis methods.
3. Ensure Relevance: that the research will deal with some pertinent nursing issue so that its findings will be meaningful and useful.
4. Encourage Clarity: Clear research questions avoid confusion, thus keeping the focus of the study on track to ensure important results.

Qualities of Good Research Questions in Nursing

1. Clarity: They should be as clear and easy to understand as possible, avoiding any ambiguous or complex language.
2. Specificity: The questions need to focus on a particular aspect of nursing or healthcare.
3. Possibility: They should be such that an answer to them can be found within the limits of available time, resources, and ethical considerations.
4. Relevance: Such that they deal with important issues in nursing, contributing to its progress.
5. Research-ability:They should be phrased such that they allow strong investigation and collection of data.

Nursing Research Question Examples

One of the important things when seeking out nursing research is to ask a clear and focused question in order to result in meaningful study outcomes. Here are some examples of nursing research questions which can help guide your research toward topics you want to develop into evidence-based practices.

Questions for Clinical Research

1. Pain Management: What are the effects of the type of pain medication given during surgery on the necessity for further pain medication 24 hours after surgery?
2. Maternal and Pediatric Health: Which maternal health factors at birth predict body fat in toddlers?
3. Suicide Prevention: Which elements of peer support programs contribute to suicide prevention among high school girls?
4. Physical Attack: What is the most accurate method for measuring the experiences of physical Attack among men?
5. Comparative Effectiveness: Does yoga work as well as physical therapy at reducing swelling in people who have been treated for cancer of the head and neck?
6. Labour and Delivery: Does cutting the umbilical cord within the first three minutes of labour affect placenta separation?
7. Diabetes Management: Do text reminders for teenagers with Type 1 diabetes manage their blood sugar more effectively?
8. Pain in Dementia: Do people with dementia process pain?
9. Bereavement: How can we tell if siblings will experience depression following the death of a child?
10. Cancer Cachexia: What would hinder cachexia in patients who have been administered powerful radios and chemotherapy?

Research Questions for General Health Services

1. Organisational Influence: How does the renal transplant nurse coordinators’ duties being organised influence the number of live donors?
2. Nurse Turnover: What nurse managers’ actions are significantly associated with high nurse turnover and readmission rates within 30 days?
3. Nurse Faculty Loans: How does the Nurse Faculty Loan program influence the number of nurse researchers, and what would a 20% funding cut do?
4. Psychiatric ward design: Is there evidence that design has an impact on patients’ aggression?
5. Patient preference: Among Native Americans, what are the preferences of timing, place and cost for weight management counselling and what predicts participation based on their preferences?
6. Nurse retention: Among registered nurses, what are factors influencing them to continue working in the US Army?
7. Suicide prevention: The relationship between the timing and place of suicide prevention appointments with the suicide rate among veterans.
8. Quality Improvement: What makes for a successful quality improvement program in the operating room?
9. Integrated Records: Do integrated nursing records from various care settings have a link to better patient outcomes?
10. Nurse expert in Practice Demand: How Many Nurses Will the United States Of America Need By 2020?

Top 10 Research Questions in Nursing

1. Design of Psychiatric Wards: The psychiatric ward design and its impact on patient behaviour?
2. Computerised Records: How can using computer records make patient care better?
3. Pain and Dementia: Can dementia cause pain because of changes in the brain?
4. Diabetes Management: How do text reminders help teenagers with Type 1 diabetes manage their blood sugar?
5. Yoga for Lymphedema: Is yoga as good as physical therapy for reducing swelling in cancer patients?
6. Peer Support and Suicide Prevention: How can peer support programs help stop suicide among high school girls?
7. Veteran Suicide Prevention:Do Timing and Location Matter in Preventive Counseling for Suicidal Behavior in Veterans? 
8. Operating Room Improvement:Developing and Implementing Quality Improvement Programs that Actually Improve Patient Care in Operating Rooms
9. Nurse Manager Roles:Nurse Manager as a Contributor to and Facilitator of Organisational Tune Out
10. Cachexia Prevention: What is best to keep cachexia away in patients on strong treatment for cancer?

These questions help to explore very important nursing topics and seek to raise the level of care for patients.

Bottom line

Key nursing research questions are the basis of improvements in health care and nursing practice. Clear, focused research questions will direct an inquiry designed to answer important nursing issues.  They form and ensure the usefulness of the studies, either for beginners or experienced people desiring to make a difference in nursing through research.