A researcher wants to discover why patients of certain ethnic backgrounds are reluctant to ask for pain medication. Because there is little data in the literature on this topic, the researcher designs a study to explore the relationships between cultural belief systems, the experience of pain, and the effective use of medication to relieve pain. The researcher plans to use the findings of this study to formulate hypotheses for a future study. What is a characteristic of this study?
A. It is a quasi-experimental study.
B. It will lead to level II data.
C. It has a directional hypothesis.
D. It is a hypothesis-generating study.
Correct Answer: D. It is a hypothesis-generating study.
Not enough is known in this area at this time to formulate hypotheses, so the researcher will conduct this qualitative study and use the findings to generate hypotheses for future studies. In hypothesis-generating research, the researcher explores a set of data searching for relationships and patterns and then proposes hypotheses that may then be tested in some subsequent study.
Option A: This is a qualitative study, not a quasi-experimental study. Qualitative research involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to understand concepts, opinions, or experiences. Qualitative research is the opposite of quantitative research, which involves collecting and analyzing numerical data for statistical analysis.
Option B: Level II evidence is obtained from at least one well-designed randomized, controlled trial. Evidence is obtained from at least one well-designed RCT (e.g. large multi-site RCT). Levels of evidence (sometimes called hierarchy of evidence) are assigned to studies based on the methodological quality of their design, validity, and applicability to patient care. These decisions give the “grade (or strength) of recommendation.”
Option C: This study has no hypothesis. A directional hypothesis is a prediction made by a researcher regarding a positive or negative change, relationship, or difference between two variables of a population.