Summarize Research Articles
Nursing Qualitative/Quantitative Research
Summarize Research Articles
The Quantitative Article: The Nurses’ Knowledge of Inadvertent Hypothermia
The research article was found in the AORN Journal on pages 701-703 in the Grand Canyon University Library Resources. Published on April 1, 2009. This is a summary of a quantitative descriptive study in which a group of 130 perioperative nurses’ voluntarily completed two surveys pertaining to their knowledge of hypothermia and management of inadvertent hypothermia.
Problem Statement
60-90% of patients in the perioperative setting unintentionally become hypothermic. This high number creates poor patient outcomes, higher hospital costs, and unnecessary exposure to procedures and diagnostic testing. It is found to be crucial that all nurses working in Operating Room (OR) realm develop expert knowledge level of hypothermia, risk factors awareness, complications, and techniques for prevention and treatments.
Statement of Purpose
To combine findings of a random study involving voluntary perioperative nurses answers to two surveys in hopes of gaining understanding to their recognizing hypothermia, risk factors, possible negative outcomes, and prevention/treatment management to reduce inadvertent hypothermia.
Research Question (s)/Hypothesis The research question: What is the benefits of having an increased level of awareness of hypothermia and management in the OR environment? Hypothesis: There is an expectation that thermoregulation is fundamental in any nursing practice, in addition, it was foreseen that the professionally skilled nurses would be highly knowledgeable regarding hypothermia.
Study Methods The National Annual Conference of the Irish Anesthetic and Recovery Nurses Association held in the Republic of Ireland, Waterford City, on October 13th 2007 was the setting selected to perform this quantitative descriptive study. It involved a voluntary convenience sample of all delegates present at the conference: 198 delegates were given the envelope containing the study surveys, and 130 returned completed questionnaires. The nurse’s worked within the OR in various departments including anesthetics, recovery, intraoperative and combination of two or more areas. Two surveys were given to assess with quantitative and qualitative aspects. The surveys allowed the surveyor’s to assess the nurses knowledge in relation to defining hypothermia, predicting risk factors, familiarity of impediments, along with techniques to preventing and treat. The studies included 2 demographic questions, 9 questions to evaluate the nurse’s knowledge, and the 23-item Likert scale. Questions included: defining hypothermia, listing elements that could point to hypothermia, naming bases for heat loss, listing procedures followed in their clinical settings to reduce hypothermia, itemizing complications associated with patients who have had surgery or anesthesia, describing usual monitoring of temperature routines and limitations, in addition to, the Likert scale’s 23 questions pertaining to the importance of risk factors with 0 being least important to 10 being very likely important.

Key Findings
The nurse’s response showed the majority were noted to be incorrect per clinical guidelines with their definition of hypothermia. It is assumed the above finding was due to a lack of clarity of standardized practice for normothermia ranges. The Likert scale revealed nurse’s recognizing importance of things like age and burn victims being a high risk factor, but noted with the open-ended questions that nurses did not see the same values of importance without the prompting. When resulted open-ended questions were written out, and the closed-ended questions were put into percentage. The study emphasized the need for change within continuing education protocols to compel nurse’s to stay informed with current best evidence practice.
Citation
Clinical guidelines for