A staggering majority of nursing students struggle with mastering research methodologies for DNP projects. Arriving at a project design that covers your main objectives requires more than just clinical expertise, as you’ll see in this article.
How can you leverage a robust research strategy to impact patient care in the real world?
We will assess the validity, quality, and reliability of a winning methodology and ensure your choice aligns with the research question.
Next, we will evaluate the chosen research method to identify any weaknesses, strengths, ethical limitations, and their impact on your findings and conclusions.
Tip: Seek feedback from your comrades, supervisors, or nursing authorities to improve your choice of research methodology.
In this article, I’ll walk you through three broad categories of research methodologies. I’ll show you how to pick an appropriate approach for your project, and we will discuss ethical considerations for a DNP research.
I’ll also offer exclusive insights on overcoming challenges in your study and highlight ways to carry out a successful DNP project.
Our experts can assist you with a matching research methodology to transform your vision into impactful healthcare solutions. Click here.
Understanding DNP Project Research
DNP Project Versus Traditional Research
Many people ask me whether DNP projects are similar to traditional research. My answer is no.
According to a publication by the Western Carolina University, a PhD research project/ dissertation is focused on creating new, generalizable knowledge within the scope and practice of original research. A DNP project is focused on using evidence/ research to address health care problems. Outcomes from DNP projects are transferable but are not considered generalizable.
It is, therefore, vital to make an informed choice of methodology to answer your DNP research question in a clear, credible, and ethical way.
The Scope of DNP Projects
At its core, a DNP project is a supervised, high-level problem-solving process. A unique methodology helps you evaluate the present situation, identify problems, and use evidence to develop a sustainable solution that impacts patient care and outcomes.
DNP Project Components
You’ll be expected to follow a structured process in developing, implementing, and disseminating the findings from an evidence-based DNP research methodology.
Be ready to continuously work in a team throughout the DNP project. Also, keep an uninterrupted contact with the project’s teammates. Share every development in your research with
the team leader.
Don’t do things on impulse. Outline a contractual timeline with the DNP project team. Lay down deadlines for important phases of the project.
Once the DNP project outline and research methodologies have been approved by the institution, it is now time to start off with your investigations.
See also “Excellent Tips to Master the Art of Capstone Paper Writing”
Expectations of a DNP Project
The main focus of your DNP project is to draw recommendations which drive impactful change in healthcare, either directly or indirectly. A well-thought research methodology charts a path for investigating and implementing better quality, ethical, and sustainable patient care practice in the real world.
Practical Application of DNP Research
Worthwhile DNP research develops knowledge about health. Choose a methodology that promotes the health of patients and persons living with disabilities.
Winning DNP research methodologies aim at adding value to daily nursing activities in a bid to improve the quality of healthcare services.
Impacts of Research Methodology on Project Outcomes
An unreliable DNP research method produces unreliable results. Consequently, the value of your analyzed findings is adulterated. Choose a method that exhaustively covers your approved research question in an ethical process.
Contribution of Methodology to Evidence-Based Practice
For every DNP project, there is a considerable amount of actual and potential wastage in research. A comprehensive, evidence-based design ensures worthwhile and valuable research outcomes.
In this section, I’ll discuss evidence-based research methodology approaches that lead to better nursing practice.
Do you need help to formulate a working research methodology for your DNP project? Click here.
Review prior research to inform your DNP question. Work with a design that wholesomely answer your project statement. A dedicated methodology responds to the study in a valid, efficient, verifiable, and accessible manner.
Evidence-based research methodologies minimize the chances of unnecessary and irrelevant DNP projects that are unscientific, wasteful, and unethical.
Key Research Methodologies for DNP Projects
Explore practical DNP research methodologies for projects in your field by reading intensively. An extensive review of approaches in other disciplines will equip you with precious knowledge of requisite design tools.
Types of Research Methodologies
Clinical research designs fall into four broad categories: quantitative research, qualitative methodologies, mixed-method approach, and holistic (interdisciplinary) methods.
Quantitative Research Methods
Quantitative DNP research methodology focuses on measuring variables using a numerical system. Obtained data is then measured using any of a variety of statistical models.
There are two ways to measure quantitative statistics for your DNP research:
- Descriptive Statistics (a snapshot of the data’s features which calculates measures like mean, mode, and the median)
- Inferential Statistics (makes informed inferences about what the clinical data mean.)
Quantitative research methods report cause-effect relationships and associations among the studied variables. You’ll focus on gathering and analyzing numerical data in order to understand and explain clinical phenomena.
The process can take the form of a survey, a descriptive, an experiential, a correlational, or a causal-comparative style.
On the surface, this strategy looks similar to true experiments.
Design Considerations
- Descriptive Research.
- Correlational Research.
- Quasi-experimental (Causal-Comparative) Research Design.
- Survey Research.
How to Collect Quantitative Research Data
You can use any (or a custom combination) of the following methods to collect quantitative data for your DNP project:
- Controlled observations
- Surveys (online surveys, telephone interviews, questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, polls)
- Longitudinal studies and experiments.
Note: Surveys are the most common because they’re simple, effective, and return the highest completion rates. They can be deployed both online and offline to reach a broad spectrum of participants.
Statistical Analysis Techniques
Based on your DNP project objectives and design, you can use any of the following analysis tools to process quantitative data.
- Paired-samples T Test
- Fisher’s Exact Test
- Descriptive Statistics
- Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, or
- Chi-Squared (X²) Test
- SPSS, Stata, SAS, and R, Python, MATLAB, JMP, MS Excel (software)
Qualitative Research Methods
If you intend to immerse yourself in the perspectives, stories, behaviors, and the feelings of your DNP research participants, I recommend a qualitative research methodology.
Qualitative research methodologies are known for deeper, more detailed, and holistic understanding of the DNP project question. They help you understand the participant’s patterns of health behaviors and their illness experiences.
As a DNP student, this methodology makes it easier to design clinical interventions and to develop substantive healthcare theories. You’ll generate rich data through qualitative descriptions and the insightful patient context.
Approaches and Methodologies
Examples of qualitative methods employed in nursing research include:
- Grounded Theory
- Phenomenology
- Case Study
- Ethnography, and
- Qualitative Description
Each of the approaches above has inherent assumptions and purposes. Choose a method(s) based on how closely they answer your DNP research question.
Wise Choice: Grounded theory, phenomenology and ethnography are three most common approaches used in DNP research.
A historical study is the ideal choice for studies that involve extensive examination of the past (people, events and documents.) Contact our expert researchers for more info. Click here
Data Gathering Techniques
There are a variety of qualitative data collection methods you can use in your DNP research. They include observations, textual or visual analysis (books and videos), and individual or group interviews.
The most common methods of qualitative data collection for healthcare research are focus groups and interviews.
Data Analysis Methods
For qualitative DNP research data analysis, I highly recommend the Chi-Squared (X²) Tests due to their high level of objectivity. Software such as QDA Miner, Intellectual Statistics, MS Excel, and SPSS are easy-to-use analysis tools.
Other methods you can use to analyze qualitative DNP research data include:
- Coding (labeling and organizing data to identify different themes and the relationships between them)
- Content analysis
- Narrative analysis.
- Discourse analysis.
- Thematic analysis.
- Grounded Theory, or
- Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
Mixed-method Approach
To substantively answer your DNP research question, use a blended research methodology. The results will yield multiple ways to overcome your chosen research problem.
Individually, qualitative and quantitative methodologies give answers to different aspects of your DNP research statement. When you combine them, they deliver deeper, more fulfilling, and rewarding results.
Overly, quantitative data is better at answering questions like ‘What is the effect?’ Qualitative research methodologies, on the other hand, explain how and why you got those results. Use a blend of the two approaches in the formative and summative stages of your DNP project.
The benefits of using a mixed research methodology include:
- You’ll balance out the limitations of an individual method.
- Provides a wide-angle view, leading to stronger evidence and more confidence in your DNP research findings.
- A mixed approach yields granular results compared to individual methodologies.
It is not all rosy to use a mixed method, though. First, this approach is complex to implement. Secondly, it is resource-intensive compared to a single methodology.
Make the Right Methodology Choice ! Depending on your DNP research statement, using a blend of quantitative and qualitative components is the most appropriate formula.
Interdisciplinary (Holistic) Approach
This DNP research methodology travels beyond the boundaries of a single discipline. The intention is to interlink different aspects of your study in brewing a composite result for your project.
A holistic methodology encourages collaboration between experts from diverse fields in the nursing profession, all working in sync. The result is an exhaustive solution to the DNP question drawn from diverse schools of thought.
According to Allen F. Repko, an educator and author on interdisciplinary research methods, this is a heuristic (individually discovering information), iterative (repetitive), and reflexive (looking back to eliminate bias) approach.
Learning Point: The holistic process includes specifying a problem or question, deciding on disciplines, conducting research, and synthesizing, or coherently blending and organizing, the information.
Advantages of this research method are:
- It reaches a larger audience
- Holistic research can inspire new trains of thought and questioning
- Motivates DNP students and helps build their critical thinking skills.
See also “Excellent Tips to Master the Art of Capstone Paper Writing”
Do not let the choice of a research methodology customized for your DNP project stall you. Contact us!
Incorporating Patient Perspectives
I know you’re thinking ‘Why is PPIE important in DNP project research?’
Well, PPIE involves patients and the public in DNP research decisions. What we do, how we interpret, and how we communicate our analysis are all guided by the patient.
PPIE ensures that DNP research is done in accordance with the ethical principle of ‘nothing about us, without us’. Your clinical expertise, combined with the best available scientific evidence, lets you provide patients with the options they need.
“Patients can’t have a preference if they aren’t given a choice, and they can’t make that choice if they aren’t presented with all options.”
Tailoring Research Methodologies to DNP Projects
Choose a research design unique to the DNP project statement. Take time to prioritize the desired implications of your research methodology on the final results.
You can settle on a combination of methodologies with the most satisfying answers to your study question and work with it.
Considerations for Selecting an Appropriate Methodology
Choose a DNP research design that matches your research question.
As seen earlier, different approaches have different strengths and limitations. My advice is to stick with a blend that balances out individual methodology weaknesses.
Example: If you’re researching the experiences or perceptions of a phenomenon, opt for a qualitative design such as an ethnographic study. When testing a hypothesis or measuring the effect of an intervention, choose a quantitative design such as a randomized controlled trial. A mixed-method research is good for integrating or comparing different types of research question data.
Aligning Methodologies with Project Goals and Objectives
Before arriving at a research methodology, align it with the study question. This simple trick ensures coherence and consistency between your DNP research objectives and the approach used to achieve them.
By aligning your research statement with the design, every DNP project team member becomes more efficient and effective during the research process. In return, your findings will be more accurate and reliable.
A clear research outline only comes about if your DNP research methodology tallies with your project question. Different research methodologies use specific ways of collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.
Your peers don’t know this yet: matching a DNP research question with an appropriate methodology promotes replicability and comparability. Beat them all at accumulation of knowledge, validation of research findings, and advancement of the nursing field as a whole with this insight!
Did You Know? By aligning the DNP research statement with a good design, you can tailor data collection instruments, sampling techniques, and statistical analyses to address the research question effectively.
DNP research statements that snugly fit in your choice methodology improves the coherence of your capstone paper. Your nursing instructor is looking for a connection between the project question, the objectives, and the underlying theoretical framework in a flowing final paper.
Tips for Selecting the Most Suitable Methodology Based on Project Goals
- Continuous learning and professional development.
- Engaging in collaborative research opportunities.
- Seeking guidance from experienced DNP researchers.
Overcoming Challenges in DNP Project Research
All DNP projects face a myriad of challenges in planning, during implementation, and at the summative evaluation stages. The severity and solutions to the hurdles discussed below are unique to individual DNP researchers.
Common Obstacles in Healthcare Research
- Challenges with Planning.
These can be effectively eliminated by drawing project timelines, creating roadmaps, and setting clear goals.
- Implementation Obstacles.
Easily addressed by clinical-academic mentor support programs and/ or toolkits.
They include appraisal tools, evaluation techniques, and data mining.
- Sample selection (should be top on the list for many, I know!)
- Resources (time, human resources, financial, and infrastructural.)
Strategies for Diverse and Inclusive Participant Recruitment
Manage the challenges specific to your DNP project through:
- Rigorous planning and protocol development
- Continuous design reflection and adaptation
- Using digital technologies and a blend of methodologies for data collection and analysis.
It’s important to understand the role of mentorship in guiding your clinical research
Ethical Considerations for DNP Research
Every clinical research operates within a set of principles that guide its research designs and practices.
Your main concerns for the DNP research design are:
- Voluntary subject participation
- Informed consent for all participants.
- Research respondent anonymity
- Confidentiality
- Least or zero potential for harm
- Communication of results.
Very Important: The ICNE insists on five ethical principles of international nursing research: respect for persons, beneficence, justice, respect for community, and contextual caring.
Some ethical methodology principles such as informed consent, the dignity and privacy of research subjects, voluntary participation, and protection from harm apply across all types of research.
There are hundreds of ethical restrictions for nursing research designs. However, these five ethical principles are considered foundational:
- Respect for autonomy (self-determination)
- Beneficence (do good)
- Nonmaleficence (do no harm)
- Justice (fairness), and
- Fidelity (keep promises) and veracity (tell the truth).
How, then, do you get the institution to approve your DNP research methodology in line with their ethical priorities?
First, ensure your approach clearly communicates potential benefits and risks of participating. Secondly, inform your supervisor and participants how long the DNP research will take. Third, give all your contact information and those of the supervisor/ sponsor to the subjects.
Lastly, reiterate the participant’s right to withdraw from your DNP project at any time without retribution.
Ethical norms in DNP research methodologies promote the core aims of study: knowledge, avoidance of error, and truth.
Remember: Ethical DNP research prohibitions against fabricating, falsifying, plagiarizing, or misrepresenting findings promotes truth and significantly minimizes clinical study errors.
Insights in Practical Application of DNP Research Methodologies
Before you zero in on a research methodology for your DNP project, answer the following questions.
Does the chosen methodology conform to current healthcare trends? Can you use integrated technology for data collection and analysis? Is the approach community-engaging, and what are its implications for the future of DNP research?
Things to Ponder: Your DNP research methodology should accommodate the use of big data and analytics. Look out for emerging methodologies and software in nursing research. Keep an updated list of ethical considerations in clinical projects.
Parting Shot
I urge you to sharpen your research skills by attending workshops and signing up for short courses on DNP project methods. Grab mentorship opportunities for hands-on experience in DNP project approaches. Constantly consult experts. Review clinical research methods and ethics with an aim to use lesser-known designs.
The world of DNP research methodologies is evolving fast. Invest in literacy of digital tools to enhance your methodology and to produce results that meaningfully contribute to healthcare.
Call to Action
Share experiences and insights you learned in this article with your DNP project team members. Don’t drop the ball on continuous learning, self-evaluation, and improvement. Embrace diverse methodologies and invest in research skills.
Are you having second thoughts on what research methodology you should use for your DNP project after reading this article? Let us give you a helping hand!
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