Quantitative Research in Nursing Science

Abstract

Nowadays, writing about research is a challenge both for the recurrence of the topic in the scientific literature, as for the certainty of the idea that "you just learn to research, researching". In this sense, this editorial aims to reflect a little on the usefulness of quantitative research for Nursing and also on the possibility that this is another option in the scientific development of a profession that has been gaining space in the scientific world with great effort through its historical and cultural evolution.It is known that, in actuality, the scientific trends are discussed in two scientific paradigms, the quantitative and the qualitative, that in many areas of knowledge are integrated and whose tendency to achieve evidences increasingly closer to the reality of human beings goes through integrating them in order to reach the so-called joint mixed research, that whoever writes about is defender, as Hernández Sampieri 1 would say, "scientific research is dynamic, variable and progressive".In the case of nursing, the research trend moves from a perspective centered on the interaction between people and their environment, on education in nursing and the nurses, as well as the experiences of nurses in the care of patients with certain health problems, that focus on the creation and confirmation of theories and models to the most current, to find evidence that could be used in practice, which resulted in evidence-based practice. 2,3In this scientific struggle, the main studies have been focused mainly on the quantitative research, in correspondence, of course, with the positivist paradigm that has dominated science for a long time. However, in recent times, qualitative studies have increased, and perhaps, even if to a lesser extent, also mixed studies.Quantitative research is one in which quantitative data on variables are collected and analyzed. In this way, this type of research is able to identify the deep nature of realities, its system of relations, its dynamic structure. It can also determine the strength of association or correlation between variables, the generalization and objectification of the results through a sample that makes inference to a population. In addition to the study of association or correlation, quantitative research may also, at its time, make causal inferences which explains why things happen or not in a particular way. 4In this type of project, it is interesting to include the practical studies based on evidences, which helps to prove the efficiency and effectiveness of secure Nursing interventions.Another area in which these types of studies are needed are the epidemiological investigations, in which Nursing participates, but can still explore much more, both in diversity of epidemiology projects, allowing the identification of the most vulnerable groups of the population, risk factors, etc., as well as the possibility to assess the effects of an intervention, as is the case of Nursing interventions. And there is also a less explored field of research for Nursing, where the in...

Conhecimento dos enfermeiros residentes sobre leitura e registro do indicador químico nos processos de esterilização de produtos para a saúde

“…Ela também pode determinar a força de associação ou correlação entre variáveis, a generalização e objetivação dos resultados através de uma mostra que faz inferência a uma população. Além do estudo da associação ou correlação, a pesquisa quantitativa também pode, ao seu tempo, fazer inferências causais que explicam por que as coisas acontecem ou não de uma forma determinada (Esperon, 2017).…”

Nursing Research during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

“…Researches are categorized into qualitative and quantitative studies. The quantitative research hovers around the word "measure", while the qualitative research hovers around the word "perception" [10]. According to Esperon (2017), the main focus was on quantitative research, but recently, the qualitative studies have been increased as well as the mixed studies [10].…”

A percepção das gestantes frente à utilização de plantas medicinais no município de Cuité-PB

“…A pesquisa quantitativa é a aquela que interpreta os fenômenos através de variáveis expressas sob a forma de dados numéricos, empregando recursos estatísticos obtidos pelo pesquisador para classificá-los e analisá-los, através da porcentagem, média entre outros. Este tipo de pesquisa é capaz de identificar a natureza das realidades, seu sistema de relações, sua estrutura dinâmica em razão de sua maior precisão e confiabilidade (Fontelles, Simões, Farias & Fontelles, 2009;Prodanov & Freitas, 2013;Esperón, 2017).…”