When nurses have a question about a clinical practiceissue that they can turn to the literature to see what scientific evidence is available that addresses their question.

In the Appraisal Guide: Findings of a Quantitative Study provided in this week’s resources, the questions identified in the article reviewed during the webinar under the Credibility section include whether the study clearly defined the population and setting, the sample size was appropriate, the data collection methods were reliable and valid, the data analysis was appropriate, and whether the study addressed limitations and biases.

The lack of randomization of participant assignment to intervention or control groups was one of the major flaws of the study discussed during the webinar. This study used only convenience sampling. Participants were chosen based on availability and willingness to take part, not randomly. This could have introduced bias and limited the generalizability of the study’s findings. There was also no blinding for the intervention. This could have affected the results of the study.

It is because of this flaw that I wonder if study results can be used to assess patient handoff. This could have been due to the fact that the results were influenced by the absence of randomization or blinding. It is possible that this study does not accurately reflect the impact the intervention has on patient handoff. To get a comprehensive picture of this, other studies have been conducted that address the issue.