Understanding the Terminology
			          Megan Foley
			Lakeview College of Nursing

			Understanding the Terminology
Part I
Abstract (the benefits of) helps people to understand or get a brief introduction and summary of a whole part.  Giving an abstract meaning can be beneficial when time constraints are put in place.  A person can get the important parts of the story from an abstract version.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 15)
Dependent Variable is the specific factor of interest in an experiment or a story.  When talking about nursing research a person finds a topic of discussion such as drugs and their adverse effects, the dependent variable in this topic might be nephrotoxicity.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 74)
Evidence-Based Nursing is when a nurse researches different things in order to provide the utmost quality of care.  Nurses have to make evidence-based nursing a part of their practice.  Research is evidence-based nursing where a nurse will look at statistics and piece together information in order to make the right choice for the patient.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 4)
Finding vs. Results/Conclusions, findings are the end of a study and what is found to be true.  We might say that in a study of cancer patients and their rate of survival it was found that those patients with osteosarcoma have a lower survival rate than those with melanoma.  Results/Conclusions are the specifics of those findings.  The results/conclusions of the study of cancer patients and their survival rate, only 5% of the patients with osteosacarma survived where as 12% with melanoma survived.  These are the specific results/conclusions.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 23-25)
Independent Variables are a variety of different factors that contribute to a study.  Age, gender, race etc. are all independent variables that contribute to a study.  In a study about osteoporosis, one major independent variable is gender.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 74)
Secondary Sources are another’s description of a primary source.  One researcher does a study and would be considered the primary source, if another researcher wants to research in this same study and describes the research done with the primary source when citing within his paper, he would be citing a secondary source.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 236)
Limitations put a constraint on the knowledge that is gained from a research study.  Some studies have certain aspects that raise uncertainty.  The description of the limitations is listed in the conclusion.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 24)
Literature Review discusses what has been found and the possible gaps in knowledge.  It discusses the possibility of questions not asked or certain age groups not studied.  When studies are done on an adult population and not on an adolescent population, the literature review will discuss the possible gap in knowledge of the study.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 33)
Peer Reviewed vs. Scholarly Articles, not all scholarly articles are peer reviewed where as peer reviewed articles are reviewed by an expert in the field of study.  When doing research for nursing peer reviewed articles are most often required as references.  Scholarly articles might not be considered an appropriate reference.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 237)
Primary Sources are the original information gathered and written.  Primary sources are usually found on the reference page of a paper.  They are the most commonly used source.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 236)
Qualitative Research (& types of) collects information from a natural perspective as it occurs in normal day to day life with humans.  Different types of qualitative research include case study and grounded theory.  When doing a case study the qualitative research collected was that the patient complained of a sore throat and dry mouth for days past.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 28)
Quantitative Research (& types of) collects information that is specific and broken down from the original information.  Different types of quantitative research include descriptive and correlational.  From the case study prior, the quantitative research was in regard to the lab tests done to test for any signs of infection.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 29)
Research Design is a plan that is set to collect new knowledge for a study.  The research design was to gather a group of individuals who were older adults and collect information in order to put together a study of the effect of a specific drug on the elderly population.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 195)
Themes are a general description of phrases, words, or ideas.  It is a summary of discrete ideas of phrases.  The theme of nursing is to care for people.  (Macnee and McCabe, 2008, pp. 26)
Part II
1.  Autonomy is the ability to make an informed and uninfluenced decision.  Autonomy is used daily and quite often in the nursing field.  Nurses have to make decisions when it comes to a lowered O2 level or an increase in temperature.  This person has to be able to make an informed decision when it comes to maybe having to call the physician or administer and PRN medication.
Beneficence promotes the well-being of others.  Beneficence is probably one of the most important words in the nursing field.  Nurses are constantly promoting the well-being of their patients by creating care plans and educating the patients so as to promote health and well-being.
Justice is rightfulness.  Nurses must be just in order to make sure that patients are receiving the care that is right for them.  If being mistreated, the  nurse must be just and get what the patient’s deserves.
Paternalism is making a decision on behalf of other individuals.  There comes a point when a patient might be unconscious and the nurse might need to make a decision on behalf of the patient, this would be considered paternalism.
Veracity is truthfulness.   A patient needs to be able to hear the whole truth when it comes to their health.  When they are going through a specific procedure it is important for them to hear what could possibly go wrong.  When a patient is diagnosed with cancer, it is important for them to know what they can expect as far as recovery is concerned.  Nurses need to use veracity at all times.
2.  Right to self-determination, right to privacy and dignity, right to anonymity and confidentiality, right to fair treatment, and right to protection from discomfort and harm.  (Macnee and McCance, 2008, pp. 148)  Self-determination is a lot like autonomy.  It is making a decision on your own and having the determination to carry it through.  Right to privacy and dignity involves beneficence and promoting well-being by providing privacy in order to promote dignity.  Anonymity and confidentiality deals with autonomy and confidentiality has to do with veracity and being truthful.  Right to fair treatment once again has to deal with beneficence and promoting well-being.  Right to protection from discomfort and harm also has to do with beneficence.  Really all of these rights are taken into consideration with the terms that were discussed above.
3.  In the book, Understanding nursing research: Reading and using research in evidence-based practice (2008) , there was found to be four necessary components to informed consent forms.  The first being indentifying the differences between research and activities that are routine care practices.  The second is establishing the importance of reviewing the risk: benefit ratio in order to determine the ethical nature of planned research.  The third is establishing guidelines for the selection of human subjects for participation in research.  The fourth and final found in the book is identifying what is required in the informed consent process for various types of research.  These are very important factors to consider when it comes to putting together an informed consent form.  A patient needs to understand every component of their procedure that they are about to undergo.  The most important factor and the one that you hear about all of the time is the risk: benefit ratio.  A patient is always informed of the possible outcome of the surgery which they should always be.
4.  There are several different candidates that might be good to sit in on an Institutional Review Board.  Researchers are always considered.  It must be someone who has a background with a lot of experience and education in different fields.  Different consent forms could be evaluated by different individuals.  A consent form for open-heart surgery could have a physician who specializes in cardiac procedures and researchers who have put forth the time in research studies of cardiac patients and procedures.  A variety of different physicians and researchers would be greatly qualified for different consent forms.

References
Macnee, C., & McCabe, S. (2008). Understanding nursing research: Reading and using research in 
evidence-based practice. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.