Essay on Types of Research

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis

Research has been used on many levels in science. To carry out a research project, one has to collect data, which can be used to evaluate results and prove the thesis. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodologies have been used to gain knowledge in research. In nursing, both qualitative and quantitative research has been used to carry out projects to improve patient outcomes. Qualitative research involves words and meanings, while quantitative research deals with statistics and evidence-based analysis (Goertzen, 2017).

Characteristics

Qualitative research takes an interpretive approach and attempts to understand meaningful behaviors experienced within the environment through subjective experiments (Gill & Chadwick, 2008). The researcher in qualitative analysis build abstract concept and ask questions such as how? Why? Furthermore, qualitative research uses objective and systemic methodologies (Palmer & Bolderston, 2006). It uses descriptions and categories to study experiences and realities from the subject. Contrary quantitative research methods deal with quantification (Apuke, 2017). It utilizes and analyzes numerical data using specific statistical techniques to answer how, who, and why questions. Quantitative data, therefore, gather data in numerical form and examines it with mathematical methods (Goertzen, 2017). However, the similarity between qualitative and quantitative analysis is that both are on the verge of explaining a given phenomenon. The diagram below shows the differences between qualitative and quantitative research.

Problem of interest

Fall in long-term care is becoming a significant health care issue of concrete. It has been established that fall is the leading cause of injuries among older adults and the top three cause of death. It has been estimated that one in every four 64-year-old adults fall each year and experience injuries (Keise, 2019). In a research carried out in 2014, 7 million adults feel, and 27,000 of the falls lead to death. Over the last ten years, it has been estimated that fall cases have increased by 30% (Keise, 2019). 30% of the falls occurred in private homes, while 50% occurred in nursing homes (Keise, 2019). The center for disease control has established that falls are the third leading cause of death among the elderly in long-term care nursing. These results call for an urgent need for strategies that would be effective in preventing falls.

Analysis of Research

Mixed methods will be sued to carry out these research. Mixed methods of research combines both qualitative and quantitative research within a single investigation of inquiry, allowing a more complete and synergic utilization of data (Wisdom & Creswell, 2013). To carry out this research, the use of qualitative research would be very effective but will not be complete in absence of quantitative research. Qualitative and quantitative research will ensure that a small group of people in long-term care are examined to solve the problem of falls. First, the study will focus on evaluating different long-term care facilities around the region. We have to establish why the present strategies of preventing falls are not working. This also includes the use of systemically reviewed articles to collect literature reviews from across the globe. After that, we will center the experiment in one long-term care and conduct qualitative research to determine the facility’s failures in inpatient care. After collecting results, the investigation will involve innovative new strategies combined with existing functional ones; this is done to prove if the new strategies and approaches are effective. The experiment will take a long time because it involves improvising new strategies and repeatedly implementing and correcting methods to reach an effective strategy.

Conclusion

Qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection are essential in any scientific research. Qualitative data is more concerned with the experimental process to understand meaningful behavior in an environment. Contrary, quantitative analysis purely uses mathematical methods and numerical numbers to answer research questions. Either way, both methods can be used in a single climate to collect sufficient results.

References

Apuke, O. D. (2017). Quantitative research methods: A synopsis approach. Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 33(5471), 1-8.

Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E., & Chadwick, B. (2008). Methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews and focus groups. British dental journal, 204(6), 291-295.

Goertzen, M. J. (2017). Introduction to quantitative research and data. Library Technology Reports, 53(4), 12-18.

Keise, K. (2019). Preventing Falls in Long-Term Care Facilities (Doctoral dissertation, WaldenUniversity).

Palmer, C., & Bolderston, A. (2006). A brief introduction to qualitative research. Canadian Journal of Medical Radiation Technology, 37(1), 16-19.

Wisdom, J., & Creswell, J. W. (2013). Mixed methods: integrating quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis while studying patient-centered medical home models. Rockville: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.