Literature search methodology and applications

¶ … pain thresholds of cancer patients, with a particular focus on Chinese-American outpatients who have been treated for cancer.

Which databases will you use?

EBSCOHost

ProQuest

Infotrac

What key words did you use in the Search Strategy fields?

EBSCOHost: Cancer, cancer pain, cancer pain thresholds, cancer patients pain, cancer pain management

ProQuest: Cancer, cancer and pain management, cancer and pain, cancer and patients, cancer pain

Infotrac: Cancer, cancer pain, cancer patients, cancer struggle

How many articles are found in each keyword search?

EBSCOHost: Cancer (1,215,732), cancer pain (5,409), cancer pain thresholds (4), cancer patients pain (699), cancer pain management (480)

ProQuest: Cancer (13,323), cancer and pain management (5), cancer and pain (28), cancer and patients (144), cancer pain (80)

Infotrac: Cancer (47,737), cancer pain (93), cancer patients (2,321), cancer struggle (334)

Is this research qualitative or quantitative? What is the study design? What criteria did you use to determine the study design?

The article, "A Pilot Study of Relationships Among Pain Characteristics, Mood Disturbances, and Acculturation in a Community Sample of Chinese-American Patients with Cancer" is a quantitative research. The focus on the analyses of the data produced in the pilot experiment indicates a quantitative research as opposed to a qualitative one. The measurements were taken through the use of medical instruments and data was gathered statistically through quantitative research methods.

The study designs are usually determined due to particular effectiveness in the research. The article states in this case that the study designs focused on descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional methodologies. The descriptive aspect of the study focused on the research undergoing the frequency of the pain experienced by the cancer patients. The correlational design sought to find the link between the level of cancer exposure and the outcome of pain. The cross-sectional study focused on the time period in which the subject have already been determined as outpatients.

How would you confirm that the journal you selected was peer-reviewed or germinal?

Peer-reviewed journals are usually endorsed by professional associations. Journal articles are edited and repeated by experts of the field, and ultimately published into peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Examples of these include research and studies published and/or endorsed by the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association. Germinal journals tend to contain articles at early stages of research and development. For example, this article is in a pilot stage, not yet reviewed by peers.

Does this research article generate support for evidence-based nursing practice? If not, state why it does not.