- abstract
- a brief description of the content of an article
- accountability
- the responsibility of being answerable to oneself and others for one’s choices
- adverse event
- an event that results in injury or death to a patient due to care that was not appropriately delivered rather than to their health condition
- applied research
- research that applies answers from basic research to current knowledge, testing it to evaluate changes in practice
- assignment
- the routine activities and procedures that are part of a staff member’s normal job and that they were taught in either a degree or certificate program or as part of on-the-job training
- assistive personnel (AP)
- people who work to help nurses and other providers, including nursing assistants, certified nursing assistants, patient care technicians, and surgical technicians
- basic research
- research intended to answer questions without changing the current conditions
- bias
- a research error due to encouraging one response over another, usually unintentionally
- case study
- an in-depth exploration of all aspects surrounding a single, complex issue as experienced by one or two individuals
- certification
- the process of receiving extra education plus passing a subject-matter examination to become a recognized subject-matter expert
- chaplain
- a spiritual adviser or minister working with an agency or hospital to meet patients’ spiritual needs
- clinical decision support tools
- resources available to help nurses and other healthcare professionals access best practice information more easily
- clinical expertise
- the combination of a nurse’s experience, critical thinking, and ability to recognize patterns and extrapolate alternatives based on similar experiences
- close-ended questions
- questions with a limited range of answers, each of which can be assigned a variable for statistical evaluation
- cognitive bias
- an unintentional error in judgment due to incorrect thought processes
- collaborate
- to work effectively with one or more others
- collaborative practice
- the process of healthcare workers from multiple professions working and communicating effectively together with patients and their families to provide patient care and improve healthcare quality and patient safety; also called interprofessional practice
- conclusion
- the section of an article that discusses any deductions that can be made from the research
- correlational research
- research that uses statistical analysis to explore relationships between two or more variables
- delegatee
- the staff member being delegated to complete a task or activity
- delegation
- the act of requesting staff members to perform tasks or procedures that are outside of their normal job but within the limits of their job description
- descriptive research
- research that describes one or more variables
- discussion
- the section of an article that explores the results of the research in relation to what else is known about the topic
- empirical evidence
- evidence that can be measured and quantified
- error
- the failure of a planned action to be carried out correctly
- evidence-based decision-making (EBDM)
- the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) when making decisions about caring for individual patients
- evidence-based practice (EBP)
- the responsible and thoughtful use of current and best evidence in conjunction with clinical expertise and patient values to guide healthcare decisions
- evidence-based practice bundles
- small sets of evidence-based interventions that have been proven to improve patient outcomes when used in specific settings and groups
- evidence-based research (EBR)
- when healthcare providers use research findings to improve their day-to-day care of patients
- experiential learning
- learning by doing
- experimental research
- research that studies the effect of a new intervention on a known concern and evaluates its effectiveness
- focus group
- group interview in which participants interact with each other and the researcher
- hierarchy of evidence
- classification of evidence into categories based on the type of research represented
- human subject
- a living individual whom a researcher wants to interact with to collect information or specimens
- innovation
- the development of new ideas, methods, and procedures
- institutional review board (IRB)
- a group of people who monitor and approve medical research that will be performed within a given agency and protect the agency and its employees from engaging in unethical research practices
- Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC)
- partnership between the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and associations for medical, dental, public health, osteopathic, and pharmacy education, which was formed to develop collaborative education competencies for all healthcare professionals
- interview
- a one-on-one conversation between the researcher and the research participant
- introduction
- a brief discussion at the beginning of an article detailing the history, relevant literature, and rationale for the research conducted; sometimes called the background
- literature review
- a synthesis of what other researchers have learned about a topic and what information still needs to be determined by future research
- methods
- the section of an article detailing how the study was conducted
- mixed methods research
- research that combines components of qualitative and quantitative methods into a single study
- nursing research
- structured inquiry to obtain and evaluate information related to a specific nursing question
- occupational therapist
- a healthcare worker who specializes in providing therapies to regain or prolong the ability to perform activities of daily living such as dressing and cooking for oneself
- open-ended questions
- questions that lack a specified answer, such as yes or no, and that require explanation on the part of the participant
- patient care team
- a group of people, including the patient and their family, responsible for providing care for a specific patient
- peer-reviewed journals
- publications that require several reviewers to thoroughly evaluate articles and their value to the overall body of knowledge as a condition of publication
- pharmacist
- a healthcare worker who specializes in filling prescriptions and reconciling medications to ensure patients are not prescribed incompatible medications
- physical therapist
- a healthcare worker who specializes in manual treatment of physical injury or disease with methods such as exercise and massage
- Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA)
- a quality improvement strategy to make changes through a PDSA strategy
- preventable adverse event
- an adverse event related to human error
- provider
- a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant tasked with diagnosing patients and ordering treatments such as medication and therapies
- qualitative research
- complex, open-ended research that is based on the lived experience of participants and suitable for identifying areas of concern
- Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN)
- a collaborative effort to advance and promote the integration of quality and safety competencies into nursing education and practice
- quality assurance (QA)
- oversight to ensure that current quality standards are being met across a department or agency and that staff are receiving the education and infrastructure support to maintain that quality
- Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI)
- the dual use of quality assurance (QA) and performance improvement (PI), specifically in post acute care environments such as rehabilitation centers and nursing homes
- quality improvement (QI)
- a framework to improve patient care and outcomes systematically
- quality improvement (QI) nurses
- experienced RNs or advanced practice nurses who have a special interest in QI and may have taken a certification to become a subject-matter expert
- quantitative research
- research that uses deductive reasoning, empirical evidence, and numerical data to test the validity of a reasonable idea in a given setting
- quasi-experimental research
- research that explores cause-and-effect relationships without testing new interventions
- references
- sources used within the body of an article to provide background information and support for analysis and discussion of the findings
- research article
- a formal, written description of original research performed by the author(s)
- research methods
- strategies and techniques used for gathering and analyzing data
- resource
- a tangible or intangible item used in patient care, including time, staff, supplies, and space
- respiratory therapist
- a healthcare worker who specializes in maintaining patient airways and providing advanced respiratory care
- results
- the section of an article explaining what researchers learned or concluded from the data
- root cause analysis
- a structured process to determine factors that underlie errors and adverse events
- seminal article
- an article that strongly influences research conducted in the future and thus retains its value past the time when most research is generally considered obsolete
- sentinel event
- an unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physiological or psychological injury, or the risk thereof; like a never event but is not necessarily preventable
- shared decision-making (SDM)
- the practice of empowering patients to make healthcare decisions and state their needs and limitations
- social worker
- a healthcare worker who specializes in helping patients meet social needs such as housing or rehabilitation upon discharge
- speech therapist
- a healthcare worker who specializes in speech and language issues as well as the identification and management of swallowing concerns
- stakeholders
- individual with an interest in the success of an organization, such as an investor in a business or a nurse in a hospital
- statistical significance
- the relative chance that a study’s results are reliable and similarly reproducible in a different group of similar patients
- team
- a coordinated group of two or more people, each with a specific role, who interact to achieve a common goal
- team science
- a collaborative effort to address a scientific challenge by engaging the strengths of team members with different areas of expertise
- team structure
- the makeup of a single team or a multiteam system, including identification of the team leader and other members
- translation science
- a branch of research dedicated to improving the movement of evidence-based practice from recommendations to normal care
- variable
- a factor that is measured or studied in research