Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Nursing

This article discusses two research papers, one qualitative and one quantitative, on nursing research. The quantitative paper examines the association between fast food consumption and obesity among children, while the qualitative paper develops a communication framework for interdisciplinary teams in healthcare. Both papers have strengths and limitations, and the findings have implications for nursing practice.

Running head: QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
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Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Nursing
Name:
Institution:

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Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Nursing
A1 Quantitative Article: Poti, J. M., Duffey, K. J., & Popkin, B. M. (2013). The association
of fast food consumption with poor dietary outcomes and obesity among children: is it the
fast food or the remainder of the diet?–. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 99(1),
162-171.
Introduction Poti, Duffey, and Popkin (2014), aim to determine whether
the consumption of fast food itself can lead to overweight
and obesity among children. The consumption of fast food
has long been associated with fatal health outcomes, but it
has never been clear whether it is actually the fast food or
other foods that cause the adverse health condition. As
such, the study compared the independent association of
fast food with overweight and obesity against the impact of
the remaining dietary intake. The author has articulated the
background of the study well enough and the research can
be understood.
Review of the Literature There is no literature review section in this research but the
author has reviewed several literatures in the introduction.
A total of 31 literature items have been reviewed under
various topics. These topics include the prevalence of
obesity among USA children; trends in fast food intake;
nutritional quality of fast foods; comparison between fast
food consumers and nonconsumers; and, the factors
influencing the consumption of fast foods. The last topic
identifies literature pointing to the gap of the study
indicating that factors influencing the consumption of fast
foods may also influence dietary behaviors outside the fast

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foods restaurant. The study notes that no relevant research
had been done to establish whether fast foods are indirectly
associated with weight gain or it might be just a marker for
other unhealthy lifestyles associated with obesity among
children. The article gives substantial knowledge about the
research topic.
Discussion of Methodology The research was a quantitative study. The author describes
the study as an experimental research that sampled a cross-
sectional population of 4466 US children between the age
of 2 years and 18 years who participated in the 2007-2009
NHANES. The study uses “the CDC 2000 sex-specific
BMI-for-age growth chart” to define the BMI status of its
target population (p 163). Accordingly, overweight is
indicated by BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles,
while any BMI at or above the 95th percentile is defined as
obese. Foods were categorized based on “the USDA Food
and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies version 4.1
(2007-2008) and 5.0 (2009-2010)” (p 163).
Data Analysis SAS was used for Cluster analysis to define fast food
consumers and non-consumers. The cluster analysis was
restricted to several food groups that are typically
associated with obesity which led to the identification of
two distinct clusters labeled as Western and Prudent dietary
patterns. Other statistical analyses were done “using Stata
12 (Stata Corp)” (p 164). As such, several quantitative

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statistical studies were conducted to meet the research
objectives, namely: T-test, logistic regression, linear
regression, multinomial logistic regression, and
multivariable-adjusted models (that is, linear model and
logistic model).
Research Conclusion The study reports that consumers of fast foods ate Western
diets when they were not in the restaurant strongly
suggesting that the Western foods might have a stronger
association with weight gain and obesity than the
consumption of fast food itself. Therefore, the study seems
to agree with its hypothesis that indeed the remainder of the
diet is responsible for overweight and obesity among
children. The article recommends prospective future studies
to use randomized trials to affirm the hypothesis.
A2. Researcher’s Conclusion
The researcher concludes that Western food diets are strongly associated with
overweight and obesity among children than are fast foods. The findings thus agree with the
hypothesis in the introduction. The conclusion also answers the research gap in the literature
review. The methodology used gives significant quantitative information to establish reliable
results using multiple statistical approaches to test the variables. However, the authors
recommend that prospective studies should use randomized trials to confirm the hypothesis
studied therein.

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A3. Protection and Consideration
According to the Association of the American Nurses Association, the researcher
should have indicated the ethical procedures that were followed. In practice, it is essential to
recognize the dilemmas in research ethics and take the appropriate action. Both the client and
the staff in the research need to be informed of the ethical issues that affect them. As such,
the research should comply with the Code of Ethics prescribed by the American Nurses
Association. Moreover, the outcomes of the study should promote ethical practice among
nursing researcher (“Ethics,” n.d.).
On the contrary, Poti et al. (2014) have not addressed any of the ethical concerns and
principals for conducting human experiments in nursing. The article does not indicate
whether the participants of the in-person interviews were assured of privacy and
confidentiality. The research experiment involves children, however, the researcher does not
indicate how and if they acquired the consent of the children’s parents.
A4. Strength and Limitations
The main limitation was the use of self-reporting as many people would misreport or
underreport foods perceived to be unhealthy. Secondly, the cross-sectional design does not
allow causal interpretation. The strength of the study included the use of a large sample
population. Additionally, dietary recalls allowed the research to differentiate items
successfully into fast food and remainder food using energy intake amounts as opposed to the
frequency of consumption.
A5. Evidence Application
The article indicates that children who consume fast foods may also have unhealthy
dietary behaviors in the remainder foods. It is therefore important not to have the simplistic
mindset that only places blame in fast foods for overweight and obesity why ignoring the

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dietary patterns in the remainder foods. In lieu of the article’s findings, I would have to
change my approach in nursing practice to consider the entire dietary pattern of the patient to
effectively manage the client’s weight and health concerns.
B1 Qualitative Article: Kuziemsky, C. E., Borycki, E. M., Purkis, M. E., Black, F., Boyle,
M., Cloutier-Fisher, D., ... & Wainwright, W. (2009). An interdisciplinary team
communication framework and its application to healthcare'e-teams' systems design. BMC
medical informatics and decision making, 9(1), 43.
Introduction The article indicates that few studies have addressed the issue
of interdisciplinary teams and how to design health
information systems (HIS) to support team processes. Thus,
the article aims to develop communication framework for
interdisciplinary teams based on the structure, process, and
outcome. In addition, the framework is to help the
interdisciplinary to design HIS for effective team
communication.
Review of the Literature The article does not have a literature review section but
sufficient literature has been cited in the background of the
study. In total, 16 citations have been made in the background
section. There are two main topics discussed, namely:
interdisciplinary patient care; and, effective communication in
interdisciplinary practice. The authors give sufficient
information to understand the background of the study.
Discussion of Methodology The research used a qualitative approach. Data was collected
using ethnographic approach. Content analysis was used in the
analysis of data regarding structures, processes, and outcomes.
The study focused on two interdisciplinary palliative care
teams in British Colombia. Data were collected using

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observations, audio, and video recordings during team
meetings
Data Analysis Video and audio data were transcribed and analyzed through
qualitative content analysis. Data was first coded to identify
emerging theme. Concepts and sub-concepts were non-linear
because an interdisciplinary was used. The findings were
organized into meta-concepts of structure, process, and
outcomes. The authors also developed communication
framework that can guide the design of a HIS to support
teams.
Research Conclusion The study concluded that interdisciplinary structure, process,
and outcome are complex and non-linear. For effective
communication, HIS tools that support team functions include
electronic data, video conferencing and process facilitation.
B2. Researcher’s Conclusion
The research agrees that interdisciplinary teamwork is important in ensuring adequate
specialized care such as palliative care. The paper successfully identifies the structure,
process, and outcome of interdisciplinary teams and discusses the HIS design that can support
effective communication in teamwork. The conclusion thus meets the research objective
using the indicated methodology. Therefore, the analysis is process was effective.
B3. Protection and Consideration
Like the quantitative research discussed before, Kuziemsky et al.(2009) do not
indicate the procedures taken to ensure the protection of the participants’ privacy and

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confidentiality. It is important that the ethical procedures are followed especially when video
and audio recordings are made.
B4. Strength and Limitations
Limitations of the article include the sample size which involved only two teams
reducing the reliability of the findings to generalize the findings. The framework that the
article developed needs to be validated using more teams. The article also ignored individual
team member output and focused only on team meetings. However, the framework that was
developed provides a starting point for healthcare providers and is therefore strength. The
framework can also be adopted by other interdisciplinary teams other than palliative care.
B5. Evidence Application
As indicated in the strengths above, the communication framework can be used in
other disciplines other than palliative care. In my opinion, this article gives a good framework
to develop an effective communication design. The suggest communication techniques will
help me to collect significant data that can help improve the structure, process, and outcome
of interdisciplinary teams that I am involved in.

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References
Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2018, from
https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/
Kuziemsky, C. E., Borycki, E. M., Purkis, M. E., Black, F., Boyle, M., Cloutier-Fisher, D., …
Wong, H. (2009). An interdisciplinary team communication framework and its
application to healthcare “e-teams” systems design. BMC Medical Informatics and
Decision Making, 9, 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6947-9-43
Poti, J. M., Duffey, K. J., & Popkin, B. M. (2014). The association of fast food consumption
with poor dietary outcomes and obesity among children: is it the fast food or the
remainder of the diet? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 99(1), 162–171.
https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.113.071928