Discussion Post

From my search, it became apparent that there are gaps in evidence linking the understaffing and overworking and patient outcomes in the health care settings. There are no studies that substantially point towards a strong correlation between the hours of a shift and the patient outcomes (Bae & Fabri, 2014). There was a challenge in finding appropriate search terms that would bring up studies that relate to the relationship between understaffing and overworking of nurses and patient outcomes. Considering that the topic is relatively broad, it was challenging to get a direct information that related the two variables to the patient outcome. During the search for the sources, I considered the publishers of the articles as the basis for deciding whether they were credible. Further, I looked up the authors of the articles to confirm is their specialties and level of education as a measure of their credibility.

The problem, that is to understand how nurse staffing and overworking correlates with the patient outcome can be best addressed through a qualitative research design. Such is because a qualitative design would allow for the incorporation of the opinions of the nurses based on their experience. The subjective nature of qualitative research design also leads to more in-depth information that brings to the fore the fine details about the problems. Further, a qualitative design will result in viable results that can be utilized to enact viable policies. Another rationale for the selection of a qualitative design is the specificity of information. Through the design, there will be minimal generalizations that are implicated in the accuracy of the data collected ((Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, 2016)).