Using your approved research questions and research topic, explain your anticipated sampling method and why this is appropriate for your research proposal. What is your sample size?
research topic: effectiveness of telemedicine in nursing
research question: in nursing, how does telemedicine, compared to traditional in person care, affect patient satisfaction and cost?
Anticipated Sampling Method:
For the research topic on the effectiveness of telemedicine in nursing and the specific research questions related to patient satisfaction and cost, a suitable sampling method would be a combination of stratified and random sampling.
Stratified sampling involves dividing the target population into subgroups or strata based on certain characteristics relevant to the research. In this case, the nursing population could be stratified based on factors such as patient demographics (age, gender, medical condition), geographic location (urban, rural), and the type of healthcare facility (hospital, clinic, nursing home). This approach ensures that the sample includes an adequate representation of the different nursing contexts and patients’ backgrounds.
Random sampling, on the other hand, involves randomly selecting participants from each stratum to be part of the study. This randomization process helps to reduce bias and increase the generalizability of the findings to the broader nursing population.
Why this Sampling Method is Appropriate:
The combination of stratified and random sampling is appropriate for this research proposal because it allows for a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of telemedicine in nursing across different patient groups and healthcare settings. By stratifying the population, we ensure that we capture the diversity of patients and healthcare facilities in the nursing context. Randomly selecting participants from each stratum further enhances the representativeness of the sample and minimizes potential selection bias.
Using this method will enable researchers to draw more reliable and meaningful conclusions about the impact of telemedicine on patient satisfaction and cost, as the sample will be more likely to reflect the entire nursing population, rather than just a specific subset.
Sample Size:
The sample size will depend on various factors, such as the desired level of statistical significance, the variability in the outcomes of interest, and the available resources (time, budget, and personnel). Researchers often use power analysis to determine an appropriate sample size to achieve sufficient statistical power to detect meaningful effects.
To ensure the research findings are robust and reliable, a larger sample size is generally preferred. However, it is challenging to provide a specific sample size without more details about the research design and expected effect size. Researchers must strive to strike a balance between feasibility and accuracy when determining the sample size.