| CODE | NUR4300 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Research Study in Mental Health Issues | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Mental Health | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Students will design and carry out a research study under the supervision of an academic supervisor nominated by the University of Malta. The research study will be documented and submitted as a dissertation according to the University of Malta regulations and guidelines, using the APA referencing style. Study-unit Aims: The study-unit will build on the content covered in the Evidence Based Practice related study-units (NUR1112 and NUR3155) and offers students reading for a B.Sc. in Mental Health Nursing the opportunity to undertake an independent piece of research in their sphere of special interest or mental health nursing practice. It is designed to promote Evidence Based Practice in mental health nursing through critically appraising a wide range of scientific evidence relevant to a specific research question, and through a synthesis of findings to construct recommendations, including dissemination, for more effective practice. The final research report, submitted as a baccalaureate dissertation, will also demonstrate the students’ skills in managing independent study. Ultimately, the research process should contribute to the general development of the students’ reflective and / or creative practice and of academic writing skills. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Demonstrate initiative, originality and justification for the construction of an original question/focus relevant to their special interest or practice, and within the wider context of health and social care; - Conduct an effective systematic search in relation to the question/focus that has been developed and critically appraise and evaluate the identified literature; - Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge base of the different types of evidence, the research paradigms and approaches, and the ability to critically evaluate their relevance and contribution to the health and social care setting; - Critically analyze the relevance of any ethical implications that may arise during the course of the enquiry; - Synthesise the evidence to address the original question and any associated issues significant to the chosen topic; - Demonstrate initiative in interpretation of the findings taking into account limitations and challenges of the implementation of evidence based practice; - Justify the conclusions and recommendations based on insightful, comprehensive, realistic, well reasoned arguments; - Demonstrate an extensive range of concepts and current research or professional issues in the chosen area of enquiry and demonstrate the ability to illustrate their unique project decision trail through the production of a coherent, logical, reflective and comprehensive report of the process, outcomes and implications of your enquiry; - Synthesise an innovative dissemination strategy to best influence evidence based practice; - Critically reflect on the project activity and learning and its contribution to their future practice/role. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Understand and appreciate the nature and contribution of evidence based practice to mental health nursing care; - Frame and re-frame questions arising from critical reflection on reading and practice; - Systematically search and identify criteria for the selection of robust evidence; - Understand research paradigms, research methods and designs of data collection, analysis and interpretation; - Critically appraise different types of evidence; - Use critical appraisal tools; - Interpret empirical evidence; - Discuss ethical implications applied to research and the practice context; - Be aware of the full range of concepts and current research or professional issues on the chosen topic; - Present findings for a range of audiences in a succinct and correct manner using effective, accurate academic writing; - Identify proper dissemination strategies. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Cormack DF (1999) The research process in nursing. Blackwell scientific publications - Polit DF and Hungler BP ( ) Essentials of Nursing Research. Lippincott - Freud JE adn Simon GA (1997) Modern elementary statistics. 9th Edition. New Jersey, Prentice Hall International, Inc. - Mason J (2002) Qualitative Researching, 2nd Edition, London: Sage publications - Ogier M. (1998) Reading research. 2nd Edition. London, Bailliere Tindal. - Oppenheim AN (1998) Questionnaire design, interviewing and attitude measurement. London, Pinter - Polgar S and Thomas SA (1991) Introduction to Research in the Health Sciences. London, Churchill Livingstone - Bowling A (2002) Research methods in health. Investigating health and health services. 2nd Edition. Philadelphia, Open University Press - Streubert Speziale HJ and Carpenter D (2007) Qualitative research in nursing: advancing the humanistic imperative. 4th Edition. Lippincott Wiliams and Wilkins - Gerrish K and Lacey A (2006) The research process in nursing. Blackwell science publications - Wood M and Ross-Kerr J (2006) Basic steps in planing nursing research: from question to proposal. 6th edition. Jones and Bartlett - Burns N and Grove S (2007) Understanding nursing research: biulding an evidence based practice. 4th Edition. Saunders Elsevier - Watson R (2008) Nursing Research: designs and methods. - Macnee CL and McCabe S (2008) Understanding nursing research: reading and using research in evidence-based practice. 2nd Edition - Berg B.L. (2001) Qualitative research methods for the social sciences, 4th Edition, Boston: Allyn & Bacon Recommended Journals - Research and Theory for Nursing Practice - Springer Publishing Company - "Canadian Journal of Nursing Research - McGill School of Nursing " - International Journal of Nursing Practice - Blackwell publishing - International Journal of Nursing Studies - Elsevier - International Nursing Review - Blackwell publishing - Journal of Advanced Nursing - Blackwell publishing - Journal of Clinical Nursing - Blackwell publishing - Nursing Forum - Blackwell publishing - Nurse Education in practice - Nurse education today - Nurse Leader - Nursing Outlook - Journal of Nurse-Midwifery - The Journal for Nurse Practitioners - Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health - Public Health Nursing - Blackwell publishing Useful websites and databases: - CINAHL - DYNAMED - MEDLINE - PUBMED www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed - Health Technology Assessments - http://highwire.stanford.edu/ - http://ejournals.ebsco.com/Home.asp - www.ingentaconnect.com - www3.interscience.wiley.com - http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org - www.cochrane.org - www.sciencedirect.com. |
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| RULES/CONDITIONS | Before TAKING THIS UNIT YOU MUST TAKE NUR1112 AND TAKE NUR3155 | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Dissertation and Tutorials | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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