Thank you for your post, and for identifying observation as the methodology used in this research. Observation is an excellent strategy, and a good example of this phenomenon occurs regularly on some hospital units, where observers exist to see how many nurses are performing hand hygiene before and after all patient contact. These observers simply wait and see, tracking what they witness. Now, if you were a nurse who knew that they were being watched for this behavior, you would be sure to increase your use of hand sanitizer in a very obvious way, so as to be noticed by the observer. While more hand hygiene is a wonderful outcome, it wouldn’t provide accurate results for a research study, because the observed behaviors had been altered. You can see how the outcomes could be manipulated.
The measurements section of the research report describes the instruments that the researcher used to collect data. The researcher may then describe the reliability and validity of the instrument. The existence of both attributes lends credibility to the claims that the researcher makes in the findings.
Direct observation is best used for phenomenons such as attitudes or behaviors in the healthcare setting, such as the above example. In the case of hospital-associated infections, could you explain exactly what variable the tool of direct observation is intended to measure?
Houser, J. (2018). Nursing research: Reading, using and creating evidence (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett
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